


Unexpected Living Arrangements

by WardenRoot



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: AU in which Root is a mother, Also A Little Smut, F/F, Mostly Fluff, but also a little serious stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-05-12 22:48:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 23,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5683948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WardenRoot/pseuds/WardenRoot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root is a mother, and after something happens to the previous place where her child and Root was living became unlivable, the two of them move in with Shaw. And it was Shaw who suggested it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Shoot fanfic, and although a relationship isn't exactly present in this first chapter, I'm working towards it, gotta protect my demiromantic Shaw  
> Also, I don't really know how long this is gonna be as the idea popped into my head on it's own accord

Gunfire could be heard through the building where Root’s latest mission had taken place. She held her two guns firmly in her hands as the Machine told her where to aim before she could even see the people shooting at her. Busy as she was with shooting people, she had failed to notice when the machine opened a line to someone.

“Shaw?” She asked curiously.

“Ms. Groves?” Harold said questioningly. “Ms. Shaw left a few minutes ago, we just got a new number before your call.” Root thought about what he’d said, did Shaw need help, was that why the machine had made the call?

“Who’s the number?” Root could hear Finch sifting through papers, looking for the answer to her question.

“I can’t seem to find the name, but the number is 385928409,” Root stopped breathing. “Ah, here’s the name,” Harold began, but Root knew before he’d even opened his mouth to speak. She pressed the button in her earpiece to end the call, still shooting where the Machine told her to, but not paying attention if she shot a kneecap or an eye. She quickly made her way outside, not sparing anything in her path a second glance, and mounted her black motorbike, not bothering to put on the helmet as it would take too long. Time was something Root didn’t have, as she was on the other side of town opposed to where she had to be, where she _needed_ to be.

 

* * *

 

Shaw stopped her car outside the big house where her newest number lived. They didn’t usually walk right up to where their number was, but there had been an added sense of urgency when they had gotten the number, and so Shaw pulled her gun and gently opened the front door. The house looked even bigger on the inside, Shaw found herself in a room with double doors leading further into the house. She was about to position herself into cover before opening the doors, but as she heard a kid scream she kicked opened the door, quickly searching the room.

Almost in the center of the room there stood a girl, 6 years old, and behind her someone was pointing a gun. The person had a ski mask over their face, but by the poor grip on the gun, there was no way they were a professional. Shaw steadied her aim, and shot on the kneecaps of the other person, and watched them fall to the ground. The girl ran behind her, and Shaw carefully entered the big room, seeing a few more people. They shot at her, but they all missed, she didn’t though, and they all fell to the ground, clenching their knees. Shaw turned around to face the girl, unsure how to handle this. It turned out Shaw didn’t have to do much, as the girl ran up to her and reached her arms up, commanding to be lifted up. Shaw obliged, and the girl’s arms wrapped around her neck, her head resting on her shoulder.

“Are you gonna take me to my mommy?”

“Uh, sure, you know where sh-“ before she could finish the sentence, the front doors of the house, which had closed themselves upon Shaw’s entrance, flung open.

 

* * *

 

Root jumped off her motorbike before it had come to a full stop. She barely noticed the black car outside the house before she pulled her guns out and flung open the doors to the house, ready for a fight. When her eyes settled on Shaw and a girl, she threw her guns to the ground, moving towards them.

“Mommy!” Shaw put the girl back down, before freezing as she realized what was happening. The girl ran straight into Root’s arms, and Root pulled her up into a hug.

“Hey Bunny,” Root said sweetly to the kid. Shaw straightened up as she got a hold of herself, then caught Root’s eyes with her own. “Thank you, Sameen,” Root whispered, still clinging to the girl. Shaw only managed a nod, still not fully comprehending the situation. _Root was a mother?_

Root turned her attention back to her daughter. “Kira, are you okay?”

“Yes, the hero saved me!” Shaw reacted to the word with disbelief. She had been called a lot of things during her life, and her brief time with numbers, Agent, Bitch, Darling, Psycho, Thief, but she couldn’t remember a single time when anyone had called her a hero. Until now, that is.

“She certainly did,” Root smiled, once again looking thankfully at Shaw.

 

It was only then that Shaw registered the yelling in her ear.

“Ms. Shaw, can your hear me? Is the number alright, Ms. Groves is coming to mee-“ This time it was Shaw’s turn to cut someone off.

“She’s fine, and Root’s here,” Harold starting saying something to show his relief, but Shaw turned off the sound from her earpiece. “I’ll check if it’s safe outside, I don’t imagine you’ll be staying here tonight.” Root nodded approvingly at Shaw, as the front door to the house once more opened. It took only seconds before Root heard a _Clear_ come from the outside, and she stepped out, pressing her daughter’s head down into her shoulder so she wouldn’t see the groaning bodies that she would be facing when Root turned around.

 

Once outside, Root put her daughter down to the ground.

“I’ll just go inside to get some of your stuff, okay, Bunny?” Root asked her daughter, who nodded back at her. The girl then turned to Shaw.

“Will you stay with me ‘til mommy comes back?” The girl’s eyes were big and dark looking up at Shaw, full of expectation as she wanted her hero to stay with her.

“Sure, I’ll keep you safe while your… _mother_ ” the word felt weird, describing Root. “gets your stuff.” Root hurried inside, zip tying the people who lay groaning on her floor and searching their pockets for information. She quickly found it was just a normal robbery. Here she was, being hunted by god knows how many different people, and the threat to her little girl had been a chance robbery because the house looked nice. Root let out an exasperated laugh, thankful no one more powerful had caught scent of Kira. She went into her daughter’s room to collect her most essential things, while sending a message to one of her contacts to come and clean things up.

 

“I’m Kira,” the girl said, extending a hand to Shaw. Uncertain, Shaw grabbed the hand.

“I’m Shaw, uh, Sameen Shaw,” The girl’s eyes widened once more.

“You’re Sameen? _The_ Sameen?” Shaw wondered exactly what was meant by the statement as she continued to watch the area around them, looking for any threat that could show up, but she was pulled out of her thoughts as the front door of the house was opened for the last time, and out came Root with several duffel bags.

“Where will you stay?” Shaw asked as Root walked towards them.

“I’m sure we’ll find something, maybe a hotel, or something.”

“You could stay at my place, if you want…” Shaw averted the gaze of the other woman’s raised eyebrows.

“You’d do that?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s late, we’re all a little exhausted, and it’s easy to get to, the obvious option…” Root moved a little closer to Shaw, lowering her voice so Kira couldn’t hear the next line she shot towards Shaw.

“I’ll get to see your bedroom?” Root’s lips were right next to Shaw’s ear, and even though this meant Shaw couldn’t see her lips, she could still _feel_ the smirk on her lips, just as Root could feel Shaw rolling her eyes.

“Don’t make me regret this,” Shaw groaned.

“Oh, I’ll make it pleasurable for the both of us, don’t you worry,” It was the last Root said before stepping back to her daughter. Swallowing her retort in front of the kid, Shaw’s lips once more parted to say something.

“How about I ride the bike back, and you guys take the car? It’ll be a little hard balancing those bags on the bike, and safer for the both of you if drive in something with four walls that doesn’t hug the ground when turning.” Root let out a smile at the thought of driving Shaw’s car, and gleefully accepted the proposal, and the keys thrown her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed this first chapter and is open to the next part of the story


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira tries to set up Root and Shaw by making them sleep in the same bed, but fails slightly when she realizes she doesn't wanna fall asleep alone after the evening she'd had

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your feedback!!! I've been smiling since I woke up this morning to 40 kudos, and six lovely comments! Honestly, I'd been hoping for a couple of people finding this interesting, and I'm so happy you guys like it! This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one, due to the fact that what I had in mind for this chapter didn't need as many words as the last one.

Shaw was the first one to reach her apartment, and the second after she closed the door behind her she immediately went searching through her apartment for anything unfitting for a six year old, including her many, many guns. She made the single bed in her guest room, and was just done when she heard the door to her apartment open once more, Root and Kira walking inside.

“Uh, I’ve made the bed in the guest room, I don’t know if you guys wanna…” Shaw trailed off, uncertain how to approach the sleeping arrangements.

“I wouldn’t wanna kick you out of your own bed, Sameen,” Root said, as if she knew what Shaw was debating.

“I can sleep in there,” Kira pointed at the guest room, then to Shaw’s bedroom. “Then you and mommy can sleep in there.” Root smirked at Shaw at the thought of the two of them sharing a bed.

“Uh, you sure your mommy wants you to sleep alone?” Kira nodded.

“At home I had a big bedroom all to myself.”

“If Sameen can’t bear the thought of sharing a bed,” Root started with _that_ smirk, but was cut off by Shaw’s glare.

“Fine, we’ll share,” Instead of the victory Shaw had somehow thought that that would earn her, Root instead smirked at her once more.

“I didn’t know you were that eager to jump into bed with me, Sameen, but you’re the host.” _Fuck me,_ Shaw thought to herself, biting her lip to surpress the groan she wanted to let out. Root kneeled down in front of Kira.

“Guess what time it is, Bunny,” Root put a hand on Kira’s cheek, as Kira sighed and looked up on her.

“Time for me to go bed,”

“Yeah, come on cutie, into the bathroom you go,” Root said, before she turned to the duffle bags she had brought and opened one of them, pulling out nightclothes and bathroom utensils for Kira.

“Sing me a song?” Kira asked her mother after being tucked into bed. Root sang her a lullaby, and Shaw was standing right outside the bedroom, hearing every word, _but not because she was paying attention or anything_.

“Want me to stay ‘til you fall asleep?” Root sounded like she didn’t quite want to let the girl out of her sight, which was understandable, Shaw supposed, for someone who had been scared for her daughter’s life.

“Just tonight? I’ll sleep alone tomorrow, and you can go out once I’ve fallen asleep.” Root kissed her cheek.

“I’ll stay with you tonight, tomorrow, next month, if that’s what it takes for you to fall asleep, but you will have to scoot,” Kira smiled as her mother laid down next to her, stroking her hair, falling asleep not long after. Shaw had just reached her couch with a newly opened beer, when she heard a pair of even breaths come from the guest room, and sighed as she realized Root had already fallen asleep as well, her daughter safe in her arms.

Shaw whispered a quiet _traitor_ as she realized she would be sleeping alone in her bed after all, _not that she wanted to share a bed with Root_.

 

* * *

 

Shaw woke up to the smell of bacon being fried as she sat up in her bed, and the night before came back to her. Root was sleeping in her apartment together with her kid, a fact Shaw still hadn’t quite managed to wrap her head around. She walked into the kitchen to find Root making breakfast, egg omelet and fried bacon, which Shaw had no recollection of being in her fridge. She also noticed that Root’s hair was slightly wet, and she’d put on clean clothes.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Root said sweetly as she spotted Shaw staring at her. Shaw ignored the _sweetie_ , and instead of replying, she snuck an arm around Root to steal a slice of bacon. As she tasted it she let out a slight moan, Root _really_ knew how to fry bacon. Root smirked at Shaw, pleased with Shaw’s reaction, which earned her a glare from the other woman.

“Kira, breakfast’s ready,” Root yelled as she found three platters, diverting the bacon and omelet on each of them, then putting them on the living room table as Shaw didn’t own a dining table. Kira and Shaw finished their plates at the same time, and sat back content in the couch, closing their eyes in satisfaction. Root smiled at them, only halfway finished with her own plate, and despite what had happened the night before, she couldn’t help but feel happy about how it had turned out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you continue to enjoy the story, I've got a rough idea of a few things I'm going to do, but if you have any prompts or feedback of any kind i'm always open to advice! I also don't have a specific plan for when chapters are gonna come out, I'm a student and school is stressing and demanding, but the plan is to see how much I can manage to write in the coming week, and hopefully get a feel for how much I'll be able to post. I also upped the rating due to swearing and guns.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaw and Kira spend a little time together as Root has to do something for the machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get a chapter done today as well :) Thank you to the new comments and kudos and readers, it's now 90 kudos, I'm thrilled you guys are enyoing it, and I hope you'll keep enjoying it, I know I am!

Shaw looked over at Root. They were all playing Mario Kart on Kira’s Wii, which had been in one of the duffle bags Root had taken with her from the house. The reason for Shaw to look at Root was because her character, Peach, had stopped driving. Peach hadn't been Root’s original choice, but when Shaw chose Bowser as her character, Root couldn’t help herself as she picked Peach, and asked Shaw “ _Planning on kidnapping any princesses, Sameen?”_ The comment had earned her a glare, but the smirk that had surfaced on Root's face could no longer be found, replaced by that look she got whenever the machine was talking to her.

“She needs me to do something,” Root didn't sound like she particularly wanted to leave them, not having left Kira since _that_ night.

“Don’t worry, we’ll manage a few hours without you,” Kira nodded to agree with Shaw as she drove her Kart over the finish line, winning the game once more. Root nodded thoughtfully.

“Shouldn’t take long, I should be back before dinner.” Root found her two guns, without Kira noticing, then went to leave, stopping in the door.

“Bike keys?” Root looked over at Shaw.

“Left jacket pocket,” Root found the keys, and left to do the Machine’s bidding.

 

Shaw and Kira played a few more rounds of Mario Kart, Kira winning every time, before they decided to quit playing. Shaw leaned back on the couch, and Kira went to get her laptop. It was almost identical to Root’s, apart from the big “K” on the lid. Shaw didn’t know what she expected to be on the laptop, but considering she was Root’s kid it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that the screen was filled with code. They sat in silence for a while, Shaw was surprised by how willing Kira was to let Shaw sit without speaking, compared to the kids she’d met before, but was thankful for the silence.

“Hey, Kira?” The girl turned her attention away from her laptop and over to Shaw. “Remember when we first met, you knew who I was when I told you my name? How’d you know?”

“My mom.” Kira said, like that’d explain everything.

“Your mom talks about me?” Kira nodded, then appeared to be thinking for a few seconds.

“When she tells me about her day, she sometimes mentions you. I like it when mommy mentions you, because she always smiles, like it makes her day just to think about you.” Shaw didn’t know what to say, not only did Root _talk_ about her to her kid, but she _smiled_ when she did it.  _Not that this had any impact on Shaw whatsoever._

“It’s like when mommy’s being silly, and you glare at her, but underneath you’re smiling, I can see it through your eyes, you just have to let it show on the outside.” Shaw couldn’t help but think about Gen at the last part, how she had told her her emotions were there, she just had to turn up the volume.

“Kira, you know how to fight?” Shaw asked, wanting to change the subject. Kira shook her head.

“You wanna learn how to fight?” Kira looked excited at Shaw as she nodded her head. “Okay, so, before we start there’s the one lesson that I’m sure you learn everywhere, but that I’m also certain your mother would kill me for not saying it: You can use what you learn to defend yourself, or others, but not just because you want to start a fight, got it?” Kira nodded once more, slower this time, to show she understood. “Okay, can you show me how you make a fist?” Kira obliges, putting her thumb on the inside of her other fingers. Shaw made a fist out of her own hand, and brought it up next to Kira’s, her thumb on the outside of her fingers, explaining the difference between the two.

 

* * *

 

As Root finished up the mission her mind wandered to Shaw and Kira. She wondered what they’d done the few hours she’d left them alone, and smiled as she thought of how Shaw interacted with Kira. Shaw, who claimed to have no feelings, had warmed up quickly to Kira, and Kira was more than pleased that she got attention from her hero. The mission had been easy enough, she hadn’t even needed her guns, but as she walked away she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She decided for an easy dinner, and ordered two pizzas with her on the way home, two because she was sure Shaw could eat one by herself if given the chance.

 

When Root walked through the door she heard a _thud_ come from one of the few rooms of Shaw’s apartment. She quietly walked towards the door to the room, and spotted Shaw showing Kira how to punch. Root found herself smiling, and as Shaw stretched, her eyes wandered to her now exposed abdomen, which only made her smile even more.

“It’s rude to stare,” Shaw glared at Root, before her eyes wandered to the pizza in her hands, at the same time as Kira also noticed it.

“Pizza!” the two exclaimed in unison, and forgot all about training as they rushed to Root.

“Sameen, are you teaching my daughter how to fight?”

“No, I’m teaching her how to defend herself, something which everyone should know.” Shaw was uncertain if she’d done something she wasn’t supposed to, when it came to Root’s daughter that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Well, as long as you teach her to use the force for good and not evil,” Root grinned at her, before putting down the pizza boxes and getting plates for the three of them. When they were done, almost all of the pizza had been eaten. Shaw had eaten the most, as Root had predicted, but Kira came a close second. A calm atmosphere had settled around the three, an atmosphere that was broken the second they heard a knock on the door. Shaw went to open the door, gun in hand, but relaxed when she saw it was only John and Bear, the latter of which she had nothing against seeing. She opened the door just enough for Shaw to get outside the apartment, before closing it again, making it so that John couldn’t spot the two people in her apartment.

“Hiding something, Shaw?”

“None of your business,”

“Haven’t seen you in a couple of days, Bear was starting to miss you.” Bear was sitting right next to Shaw’s legs, and she bent down ever so slightly to scratch his ears.

“Haven’t been a new number in a couple days, least not that I’ve heard of,”

“Well, Finch thought we should check that you were still alive, and also to ask if you could take care of Bear of a couple of days, as Finch is going out of town?”

“And is there any reason I’m getting this task instead of you?” Not that Shaw minded taking care of Bear, he had a bed, food and a couple of toys in her apartment that showed that that was not the case. What did worry Shaw though was if it would be okay for Kira.

“Like I said, Bear missed you,” Bear let out an agreeing _Woof!_ , and Shaw decided it was at least worth a try, taking the leash and shooing John away before she entered her apartment with Bear. She immediately looked questioningly at Root, who gave her a smile to say it was okay.

“Doggie!” Kira said, and practically skipped to over to Bear and Shaw. Shaw’s worries quickly went away, as within seconds Bear was lying on his back, happy as ever, as Kira rubbed his belly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What you don't see in this chapter is that everytime Shaw loses to Kira in Mario Kart, Shaw acts all grumpy about it and says that if they were driving real cars, Shaw would've beaten them all, and Kira giggles everytime. And also, Shaw is not letting Kira win, Kira is just that good. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look forward to the next one!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw talk seriously for once, Root finally unveiling how she ended up with a daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, thank you so much once again for the kudos and comments, and for just simply reading this story! It now has over 1300 hundred hits, and almost 130 kudos, I'm so happy you like it! This is a more serious chapter, and one I suspect a few of you have been waiting for, I hope it lives up to expectations! And also, this is the fourth day in a row I'm posting a chapter, I'm really enjoying writing this!

Root had just sat down on the couch when Shaw offered her a beer. She took the cold drink, taking a sip before placing it in the middle of her crossed legs. Kira had just fallen asleep, Bear lying at her feet. Shaw sat down next to her and started fiddling with her own bottle of beer. She wanted to ask Root something, that was clear. It wasn’t often one saw Sameen Shaw mustering something that looked a lot like confidence, she usually just did and said what she wanted. Still her she was, the closest thing she came to nervousness as she carefully looked up to meet Root’s gaze. She sighed, and decided to just go for it.

“So how exactly do you end up with a child?” She cringed at her own wording. Root raised an eyebrow, then leaned over just a little bit.

“You don’t know? I can show you if you want, granted we are a few parts short, but we can improvise.” That earned Root a glare from the other woman. Shaw was about to make a retort when Root sighed, and started talking, now without the playful tone.

“I was working a job, which involved me getting close to some bigshot in some big company, and of course the quickest way to a bigshot is through their secretary.” Root toyed with the beer between her legs, averting Shaw’s gaze.

“He wasn’t bad to look at, the secretary, and I do find pillow talk to be a great way of gathering information.” She leaned back on the couch, painfully aware of Shaw’s eyes following her every movement.

“Mission went fine, I got paid, and then I never saw him again. I started feeling sick little over a month after, went to a doctor friend of mine to check what was wrong and she told me I was pregnant. I panicked,” Root bit her lip, before taking a sip of her beer.

“I thought through my options, looked at it like a program with three possible ways to solve it. Option one, I get an abortion, option two, I give it away, and option three, I keep the child. When it came to it, I couldn’t bear giving her up, and I decided to raise her.” Root looked at Shaw, looking for any sign of what the other woman was thinking. They sat in silence for a few seconds, before Shaw spoke.

“What did you do when you were out doing missions, I am assuming you didn’t just leave the baby at home,” Shaw said the last part hoping to break some of the tension which had risen in the room.

“A nanny, of course,” Root looked at Shaw like it should’ve been obvious.

“Yeah, well, one can never know what you come up with,”

“I did a thorough background check, of course, met her a good few times before, and gathered a substantial amount of dirt on the woman I picked. Sometimes they’d travel with me places, if I was going to be gone for some while. Kira got to see the world, and I got to do my job with my daughter close. Of course, that was only with the safest of my missions, the more dangerous ones I did alone, but before you guys and _Her_ , I never used to do dangerous missions that required me to stay away for a long period of time. She, Cassandra, is also in charge of Kira’s education, as I don’t exactly have enough faith in our government to send her to public school.” Root took another sip of her beer, she’d never let anyone know about Kira before, and now she was giving someone the entire story. She had never expected to trust someone she didn’t control with her daughter, but she’d never expected Sameen Shaw to be in her life either.

“And where was she the other night?” Shaw didn’t have to specify the night in question, it was all still perfectly clear in Root’s head, even though she wanted nothing more than to wish it hadn’t happened.

“I was supposed to be home in an hour, an hour and a half at most, and she had an emergency on her own. Kira had gone to bed, and although it's never more than a couple of hours, she’s been alone before, and nothing was supposed to happen.” Shaw bit her lip as Root stopped talking. There was another question she was dying to ask, but, first, she was afraid she didn’t quite want to know the answer, and second, she was uncertain if Root would be comfortable giving her one.

“How come you kept her a secret?” Root hadn’t expected the question, but now that it had been asked, she understood why the other woman would want to know.

“I’ve tried to keep her as far away from the more… colorful parts of my life. I tell her stories, nothing specific, just bits, like the fact that I work with machines, and sometimes I meet different people on the job. The stories I tell are very filtered, only keeping the basic feel of it, but she still likes them. If I’d told you about her, whether or not that would lead to you meeting her, it would bring her one step closer to this part of my life, and it would also put her in danger. And it’s not that I think you’d ever tell anyone, but sometimes we do things subconsciously that doesn’t really take into account our intentions.” Root thought for a while, before looking straight into Shaw’s eyes.

“But I am happy that _you_ got to meet her. She likes you, and you’re about the one person I’d trust her with, who I _want_ to know about her.” Shaw didn’t know how to react. _Had Root just told her she trusted her with the life of her daughter?_ Shaw wasn’t accustomed to feelings, and part of her hated the way that Root had snuck into her life, leaving tiny traces of emotions behind. She couldn’t help feeling warm by the trust Root had put on her, just like she couldn’t help the hand that moved to rest on Root’s shoulder, smiling softly, or as softly as Shaw could smile. The two sat in silence for the remainder of the evening, both women feeling a little closer to the other after the story Root had shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and didn't find it too unrealistic. Sorry if you were hoping for Kira not to actually have a father, but it's not like he even knows about her existence, nor like Root's had any kind of contact with him. I'm also a wee bit uncertain about how much I'll be able to write the coming days, as I have a conference thing tomorrow and thursday due to my school's student council, and I have a test on friday, but I'll try my best, and I should at least have one done by the weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a tiny chapter today, as that was all I had the time to write, but I hope you like it still! Also no summary this time because my head drew a blank on what to write without either spoiling, or making it sound like something else is going on. As always thanks for the kudos and the comments and for reading, I never dreamed this many people would read what this thing. Also, fifth day in a row I'm posting a chapter, which really should say something about how much I'm enjoying writing this, as the motivation I usually have is the one that comes an hour before whatever it is is due, and the motivation I have now is largely because of you guys!

“I’m going to bed,” Root announced sleepily, standing up from the couch. She started walking towards the bathroom, when she stopped and turned around, a playful smile on her lips.

“Wanna join me?” Shaw rolled her eyes, but suddenly had the urge to yawn. She stood up from the couch and went straight past Root on her way to the bathroom.

“You better be going to sleep, or I will shoot you.” Root grinned as she watched the other woman walk into the bathroom ahead of her.

 

Root was very respectful of Shaw when they shared a bed, never invading her privacy. Shaw was thankful for it, someone probably would’ve gotten shot if her privacy hadn’t been respected. She quickly fell asleep, Root, however, had more trouble sleeping. As soon as she’d laid down, she’d felt wide awake, and no matter how hard she tried, her body refused to sleep. She looked over at Shaw, the other woman’s mouth half open as she slept peacefully. It reminded her of a lioness, so peaceful, yet always on guard, always ready to fight. She reached out to push away a strand of hair that had fallen into Shaw’s mouth, but was met with a hand around her wrist. Shaw was still fully asleep, there was no doubt in Root’s mind about that, and yet she’d managed to grab Root’s hand before it reached her face.

_That’s what you get for trying to do something nice,_ Root thought jokingly, a smile reaching her lips. She slowly pulled her hand away, trying not to wake the lioness at her side, but, although she loosened her grip considerably, Shaw didn’t quite let go of her wrist. There was a shift in the bed, and Shaw was suddenly _very_ close to Root. The hand let Root's wrist go, only to come to rest on her stomach. Root was decently certain she’d forgotten how to breath, and she could feel her heart racing beneath her chest. Carefully, so she wouldn’t disturbed Shaw’s hand, Root shifted just a little, lying a bit more comfortably in the bed. She fell asleep almost the same second she closed her eyes.

 

When Shaw woke up the first thing she noticed was how close she was to the other woman in her bed. The second thing was her own hand on the other woman’s stomach. Her eyes darted to Root’s face, hoping for the life of her that she was still asleep. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw that her eyes were closed, her breath even. She slowly withdrew her hand, not wanting to wake the other woman, _and absolutely not because she wanted the few extra seconds that gave her to keep her hand on Root’s stomach, where it had slipped under her tank top and was touching her skin_. Free from the fear of waking the other woman, Shaw turned and looked at the watch on her nightstand. It was only four in the morning, _and there was no way Shaw was getting up that many hours before Root usually woke up and made them all breakfast_. She sighed and went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get a chapter up tomorrow, hopefully longer, but I suddenly got a lot on my to-do list for tomorrow, so we'll just have to see if I can make it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another short one, as I have been busy, but I should be able to take longer to write over the weekend with hopefully a couple of longer chapters. As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

“What’re you looking at?” Shaw peeked over Root’s shoulder.

“Nothing mu-“

“You’re moving out?” Shaw’s heart started racing. Root was looking at apartments.

“Aren’t I supposed to?” Root was caught off guard by the other woman. The past few days had been nice, _really_ nice, but she didn’t think Shaw wanted them to stay, the woman had always enjoyed living on her own.

“Why?”

“I assumed you’d want your apartment back,”

“Why?” Root bit her lip, this was not how she’d expected Shaw to take the news.

“You saying you don’t want us to move out?” Root’s lips curled up just a little at the side.

“If the kid went away, who would beat my butt at Mario Kart?” Shaw tried to hide the hint of hurt in her voice. _Didn’t Root like staying with her?_

“I didn’t realize you’d grown so attached to getting beaten by a six year old.”

“Yeah, well, Bear would miss her, and I really don’t want to listen to him cry because she’s gone,” Shaw looked down, afraid Root would see right through her obvious lie, well, technically it wasn’t a lie, but it certainly wasn’t the whole truth.

“She’s bound to have more missions for me and numbers for you, I need to live in an apartment big enough for Cass to be able to stay over, she is Kira’s nanny after all.”

“Then we’ll get a bigger apartment.” Shaw couldn’t believe how attached she’d gotten to have Root and Kira around, but she did know she didn’t want to lose them.

“You’re serious?” Root wasn’t sure she dared to believe Shaw, who’d sooner shoot herself in the leg than admit to truly caring about someone, was telling her to stay, that she’d move if that was what it took for Root and Kira to stay. Shaw nodded.

“You haven’t even met Cass yet,” Root knew how much Shaw disliked strangers invading her privacy, and if they were doing this, it would mean a complete stranger to Shaw would be spending time almost alone at her apartment.

“You say you trust her?”

“Yeah,”

“Then that’s good enough,”

“Okay,”

“So you’re staying then?”

“Yeah,”

“Good,”

“But I was serious about the bigger apartment, you know.”

“So was I,” Shaw sat down next to Root. “As long as the new apartment has a room for me to train in.” Root grinned, and started showing Shaw some of the apartments she’d been looking at.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They move in to a new apartment and decide to have a movie night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading this! This is the seventh day in a row where I've posted a chapter, I think this is the most consecutive writing I've ever done, and I'm enjoying it so much. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

“Come on, Bear!” Kira practically skipped through the door of the new apartment, tugging at Bear’s leash. It hadn’t taken them long to move out of the old one, and the Machine had taken care of most of the paperwork for them. The apartment was big, it had four bedrooms, two bathrooms and one training room which all formed an L around the kitchen and living room. The kitchen was in the center of the apartment, with a lot more cupboards than Shaw thought they would ever need. There was no wall separating the kitchen from the dining table and the living room, and on the walls in the living room there were windows which went almost from the floor to the roof.

“Why don’t you take Bear and go find a room?” The question almost hadn’t left Root’s lips before Kira ran to the bedroom that was most centered in the apartment.

“It’s definitely big,” Shaw put het bags down as she walked through the door and immediately went in search for the training room. It was supposed to be big, filled with equipment for her to use, a real training room compared to her former study-turned-training room.

“Why didn’t the Machine pick my last apartment? This is amazing!” Shaw sounded like a child on Christmas Day. Root followed her into the big room, there was a big grin on the other woman’s face.

“She thought you’d like it,” Root studied the other woman, it wasn’t often she got this excited.

 

* * *

 

After getting settled in, Kira, Shaw and Root were eating at the dining table. Root had made them chicken soup for dinner, and Bear, although occasionally shooting a glance at the food on the table, was sitting next to his own bowl of food. Root and Shaw had picked the room nearest to the entrance of the apartment, and also the training room. They were still going to sleep in the same bed, not that they had discussed it much, but neither of them had mentioned the extra bedroom when settling in. Although neither of them, Shaw especially, probably wouldn’t admit to liking sharing the bed, they had both grown accustomed to the warmth of the other person next to them, in the few days they had been forced to share. Bear had a bed in both of the two occupied bedrooms, so he could choose between sleeping with Kira and sleeping with Shaw and Root, as he had grown attached to them all.

“Can we watch a movie after dinner?” Kira’s eyes switched between looking at Root and Shaw.

“Sure Bunny, if Shaw’s up for it,” Shaw didn’t how that sentence could be suggestive in any way, and yet Root had _that smirk_ on her lips, when she looked over at Shaw, expecting an answer.

“Uh, sure, what do you wanna watch?” Shaw just hoped there would be some action in the movie, but considering they were watching it with a six year old, she assumed the movie would be pretty tame.

“Can we watch Tangled?” Root looked questioningly at Shaw, wondering if she’d abide by Kira’s whishes and watch a movie intended for children. Shaw nodded, at least they would have popcorn to keep them occupied.

 

The three of them were sitting in the same couch, Shaw was sitting with her legs crossed, and a bowl of popcorn planted in the middle, and Root was sitting right next to her, with Kira on her lap. The movie had barely started before Root’s hand was resting on the couch, next to her lap, barely touching Shaw’s. The only reason Shaw’s hand was at her side, where it could easily be reached by the other woman, _was only because if not, it would be resting in the popcorn. It had nothing to do with the fact that she liked touching Root’s, even though they just barely touched._ Root used the fact that Kira was sitting on her lap as an excuse to have her hand at her side, ignoring the open space on the couch at her other side.

Shaw had expected the general theme of the movie, and the fact that there would be singing in it, what she had not expected, however, was Root and Kira singing along with the movie. It made her wonder just how many times they’d seen the movie, they knew every single song word by word. Shaw pretended not to care, or even notice, but she had to refrain from smiling at the two people to her side. She still hadn’t completely gotten used to seeing Root as a mother, and even though she’d never admit it, watching the two of them sing every song in Tangled was adorable. It made Shaw happy to be where she was, despite the lack of action in the movie, and generally in her life when they were with Kira. She did have a feeling that last part would change, John and Finch were bound to need help soon, and Shaw was aching for a fight, one where she could actually shoot someone, instead of training a six year old. That's not to say she didn’t enjoy training Kira, she generally liked teaching the girl how to fight, but she needed that extra kick in her life.

Lost in her own thoughts, Shaw hadn’t noticed the movie coming to and end, nor had she noticed the two people at her side falling asleep. She rolled her eyes at them, then tried to wake them up, but they were both fast asleep. She sighed to herself. If she couldn’t wake them, she would just have to carry them to bed, because it wasn’t like she could just leave them to sleep on the couch, _right?_ Neither of the two were particularly heavy, and it didn’t take Shaw long to carry them to their beds. She stood for a while in thought, wondering what she should do. She didn’t feel tired, but the apartment was awfully quiet without Root and Kira being awake. Shaw had usually appreciated the silence, and being alone, and although she still did, she also found herself missing the company, _which was stupid as they hadn’t even been asleep for an hour._ She settled on taking Bear for a run, and when she got home she went straight to bed. When she laid down, Root, who was still asleep, moved just a little bit closer.

“Idiot,” Shaw whispered, a tiny smile at her lips, before she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira spends the day with her nanny for the first time since they moved in with Shaw, whilst Shaw has a new number, and Root has a new mission.

The doorbell rang, and Shaw woke with a grunt. The other half of the bed was empty, and Shaw could hear Root greeting someone at the door. She got up from the bed, and went out to greet the guest. It was a woman, a little bit younger than Shaw, and she had a kind face.

“Oh, here’s Sameen,” Root smiled at Shaw. “Sameen, this is Cassandra, Kira’s nanny.” Shaw and Cassandra shook hands, exchanging a quick _hello_.

“So, where’s Kira?” As if on que, the six year old ran up to them, Bear at her heels.

“You ready to go?” Root asked Kira, who nodded. There was a bag in her hand. Root turned to Shaw.

“Kira’s going to stay with Cass for the night, we have some business to attend to,” Shaw didn’t have to ask what business Root meant, and answered her by nodding.

“Can Bear come?”

“I don’t know, Sameen, can Bear go with Kira and Cass?”

“Bear, hier.” Shaw kneeled next to Bear, and it looked as if she was talking to the dog, although her voice was too low for anyone else to hear. When she got back up, she nodded, seeing as he wouldn’t exactly get much attention from Shaw if she was going to be out on business for the day. “As long as it’s okay for Cassandra, of course,” Shaw added.

Cassandra smiled. “As long as he behaves I have no problem with it.” They said goodbye to Kira, Bear and Cassandra, before Shaw went in search for breakfast. She found a platter with pancakes on the dining table, next to two empty ones.

“So what does the Machine want us to do today?” Shaw asked as Root sat down at the table.

“Not sure yet, but you’ll be working with John, Finch should call you about a new number any second now.”

“And you?”

“She has something else planned for me, can’t wait to find out what it is.” Root smiled thinking about the possibilities for what the Machine might want her to do. Shaw’s phone rang, and she answered it with a mouthful of pancakes. Just as Root said, they’d gotten a new number. She quickly finished the rest of the pancakes, before heading out.

 

* * *

 

As usual, Root hadn’t gotten a lot of information on what her mission for the day would entail. She’d gotten an address, the building looked it led to looked like it was going to fall down any minute. She sighed, and went inside, one gun in each hand, and her taser in her pocket.

Inside there were three men, and all but one reacted to Root by aiming a gun at her. Root aimed her own guns at the two men.

"Hello boys,"

_Take the unarmed one,_ the Machine said in Root’s ear.

“We can do this the easy way, or the painful way, either way I am leaving with you,” Root nodded towards the unarmed man. “And the two of you are staying here.” Just as the two men were about to fire their guns, Root shot them first, in the kneecaps, incapacitating them. She put one of her guns in the waistband of her pants, and used her now free hand to grab the man she had come for, pointing her other gun straight at him.

_Envelope on table._

Root went over to a tiny table in the middle of the room, and grabbed a small envelope.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Root, and you?” Root opened the envelope, it contained some cash, but it was the computer chip underneath that caught Root’s attention.

“Robb,”

“Well, Robb, here’s what’s going to happen. Very soon, I’m going to get an address where you and I are going to go. I don’t know what we’ll be doing, or why you’re coming with me, but if you don’t do exactly as I tell you, it’s gonna hurt.” Root said the last part as if the thought of it made her excited. Robb did not share this with her, and decided it was best to do as the woman pointing a gun at him told him to do. Root got a new address, and this time it led to a more modern building, which looked like it was finished not too long ago. It was empty inside, the people owning the building counting on their security systems instead of people to protect what was inside, which was where Robb came in.

“Hand,” Root said, holding out her own with the palm facing up. Robb put his hand in Root’s, and she used it to open the biolock on the many doors they had to go through to get to where they needed.

“What is this place?” Root asked.

“It’s just a hobby, nothing serious, really,” Root motioned with her gun for Robb to be quiet, and he quickly obliged.

_Safe, northeast corner, combination unknown._

“You know the combination to the safe?” Robb looked down, he had been very cooperative, but now there was doubt on his face. “What’s inside?”

Robb looked conflicted, but in the end he sighed, and spoke. “It’s just a prototype, I don’t know what use it would be to you,” Root relaxed her gun arm, and instead took out the taser she had in her pocket.

“Either you open the safe, or I make you tell me the combination in a most unpleasant way, for you at least.” Root pressed a button on the taser, making it light up to.

Robb gave in, and opened the safe. Root didn’t know what she had expected, but it had not been the digital wrist watch that laid inside. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a slot about the same size as the computer chip she’d gotten earlier.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Root smiled sweetly, before going back out the way they came, leaving Robb alone.

 

* * *

 

“Isn’t this girl gonna do anything soon?” Shaw was getting more annoyed every second. When the Machine had given them a number, a number that both Shaw and John were working, she had expected a little more action, but they had been stuck at a café watching a barista. Shaw was drinking her third cup of coffee since they entered. She looked at the watch hanging on the wall, _8 p.m., surely whatever is going down has to happen soon._ As if on que, the barista took of her apron and started going towards the door. Shaw jumped up, John right behind her, and followed her outside. They walked a couple of blocks, before the number made a left into a dark alley. Shaw and John followed suit, pulling their guns, but stopping at the corner, just out of sight. The number had met someone, but Shaw couldn’t see who.

“Where’s my money, Cate?” The voice was harsh, it’s owner pushing the number against a brick wall. Shaw and John stepped into the alley, pointing their guns at the attacker. A moment later a black motorbike came to a stop on the other side of the alley, and the person on top quickly jumped off, and put something against the attackers side. The attacker fell to the ground, unconscious, and Root pulled her helmet off, smiling at Shaw and John, a taser in her hand.

“Hey kids, you have fun?”

“No, and just ruined my one chance at getting some entertainment after 8 hours of doing nothing, so thanks for that,” Shaw stated, as she zip tied the unconscious person’s hands behind their back.

“If it’s entertainment you want, you just have to ask.” Shaw rolled her eyes at Root’s innuendo.

“Who the hell are you people?” They had all but forgotten about the number, until she spoke up.

“We’re the people who saved your ass, next time you should consider paying people back when you owe them money.”

Root sighed. “Well, I’m going back home, you coming, Shaw?” Root sat down on her motorbike, helmet back on her head, waiting for Shaw’s answer. John raised an eyebrow as Shaw got on the back, and she shot him a look daring him to mention it. He did not. The two left John to calm down the number.

 

* * *

 

Back at the apartment, Shaw immediately made her way to the training room, which she had yet to test. Root followed not far behind.

“Wanna fight?” Shaw asked, eager for a fight. Root raised an eyebrow at her. “Seeing as you ruined my only chance at fun, and I’m aching to hit something, I think it’s only fair you repay me by fighting me.”

“A chance to get hot and sweaty with you? How can I refuse?” Root smirked, and agreed to the fight. It was pretty even, what Shaw had more of in strength, Root made up for with speed. They had lost the track of time when Root finally managed to tackle Shaw, both of them falling to the ground, with Root on top. They were both breathing quick, and sweat covered their bodies. _Damn, she’s hot like this,_ Shaw found herself thinking, her eyes looking at the other woman’s lips. _So kissable, and only inches away. **What the hell?** _ Shaw couldn’t believe what she was thinking, _but Root’s lips were so close, and they looked so soft._

Root looked down on the woman underneath her. Their faces were only inches apart, and she could feel Shaw’s breathing on her own skin. _Oh, how lovely wouldn’t it be to close the gap between their lips?_ But Root would never do that, she didn’t want to kiss the other woman unless she was certain Shaw wanted it.

Shaw couldn’t take it anymore, being so close to Root, but feeling like they were oceans apart. When Root didn’t make a move to do anything, Shaw put a hand on Root’s waist, and rolled them both over, so Shaw was on top. She bent down and brushed her lips against Root’s, before pressing down. When Root didn’t do anything, however, Shaw pulled away. _Had she misread Root? Was she not, after all, interested in Shaw?_

Root froze when Shaw bent down, pressing her lips against Root’s. This was not how she had expected her night to go. Before she had the chance to respond to the kiss, however, Shaw pulled away, confusion covering her face. Root wanted nothing more than to continue the kiss, and in Shaw’s confusion, found the strength to roll them over once again, so Root was on top. She found Shaw’s arms and pinned them to the floor, so the other woman would be unable to apply force to roll them over again, without Root’s permission.

“It’s rude to break a kiss before even giving the other part a chance to react,” Root whispered in Shaw’s ear, before pressing her lips against Shaw’s. When their lips parted, Shaw whispered a silent _bedroom,_ and they fumbled their way from the floor in the training room to the much more comfortable bed in their bedroom.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root and Shaw talk about the events of the night before, before they go to meet John and Finch at the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, they're meeting at the library because it never got trashed, Samaritan never got online, and Shaw never got abducted, because reasons  
> As always thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

When Root woke up, she had a smile on her face. She glanced over at the naked body lying next to her, and she was blissfully reminded of the night before. She stretched and got up from bed. Her body was sore, and there were bruises and marks all over it, not all of which originated from before they had gone to bed. She decided to take a shower, before starting on breakfast. She was in the middle of frying bacon, wearing only an oversized T-shirt, when Shaw entered the kitchen, a sleepy expression on her face. She jumped up on the kitchen counter next to Root, and reached out for one of the finished pieces of bacon lying on a platter on the counter. As she took a bite out of the bacon, making sure Root’s eyes were on her, she stretched one of her legs out, placing it between Root’s thighs, rubbing slightly.

“Morning,” Shaw said between bites, looking expectantly at Root. Root leaned closer to Shaw, her lips brushing her ear.

“If you eat all the bacon now, there’ll be none left to eat with the eggs.” Then she pulled away slightly, looking down on Shaw’s leg. “Plus, if you want a repeat of last night, breakfast will get cold,”

“Can’t have cold breakfast,” Shaw sighed, jumping back down from the counter. Root shook her head in agreement.

“We have anywhere we need to be today?” Shaw was hoping for a repeat of the night before, but knowing the Machine, she doubted she would get it.

Root sighed. “Yup, She needs us at the library, and, before you ask, I don’t know why.” Root finished making breakfast, and carried two platters with food to the dining table. They both sat down, and Shaw dreaded the conversation that was sure to happen, but that she’d rather avoid. She started with a subject a little simpler to talk of.

“So, how come Kira and Bear didn’t come back last night?” The question surprised Root.

“Cass’s house was nearer from where they spent their day.” Root didn’t offer a more detailed reason. “They will be back later, though, probably when we’re out. Cass will take care of dinner today.” Shaw accepted the answer, she was thankful for the privacy they had gotten the night before as a consequence of the others not coming back. She stared down at her food, purposefully not looking at Root when she spoke again.

“About last night, I don’t, I-“ Shaw sighed, and tried again. “I’m not gonna go for a walk at the beach in the moonlight because it holds some form of romantic value, that’s not me.”

“I know, that’s not what I want,”

“I don’t know if I can-“ Shaw was cut off by Root leaning over the table and kissing her.

“I don’t want that, Sameen.” Root looked straight into Shaw’s eyes, and Shaw couldn’t make herself look away. “I want you, no more, no less, just you, whatever that might entail.” Shaw thought through every word Root had said. She could give Root herself, as long as that was all she wanted.

“Then, I’m willing to try whatever _this_ is, if you are,” Shaw looked away from Root, almost puking at her own sentimentality. Sameen Shaw had never wanted a relationship, there was a reason she had a three night rule, and that was only if she truly enjoyed the other person, but that rule had been broken when she’d asked Root to stay with her, even if they weren’t sleeping together at the time.

“Okay,” Root said, smiling from ear to ear. They ate the rest of their meal in silence, and Shaw was thoroughly disappointed when they didn’t have time for doing anything before they had to leave for the library.

 

* * *

 

“Hey Harry,” Root said as she leaned over his shoulder to peek at his monitors. She put the computer chip and wrist watch from the day before on the table, and when Finch looked questioningly at her she rolled her eyes. “Gift from Her, and no, I don’t know what it is.” Root had had every intention of studying it before giving it to Finch, but _something_ had occupied her instead.

“Did you guys get in a fight last night?” Root turned around to look at Reese, who was looking between the bruises on Root and Shaw.

“It was just a friendly fight, it went on for a while, but I came out on top.” Root winked at Shaw, which earned her a glare. The two other people in the room ignored the obvious innuendo, completely unaware that for once, what Root had implied actually had taken place.

“We’ll see who tops who tonight,” Shaw muttered under her breath, only Root catching her words, and only because she had been looking at Shaw. Root smirked at the other woman.

“Got a new number, Finch?” Shaw asked hopefully, perhaps something containing a bit more excitement than the one the day before.

“Well, yes, but Mr. Reese should be able to handle it on his own.”

“Don’t worry about it, Shaw, She has other plans for us tonight.”

 

* * *

 

It was eight hours later and Shaw and Root found themselves at a pub.

“Tell me again what we’re doing here?” Shaw was starting to wonder if Root had dragged her to the pub just because she wanted to. Root sighed.

“So impatient." She shook her with feigned disappointment. "We’re here because pretty soon someone is going to do something bad, and we're going to stop them. She gave the number to me, but She insisted I bring you.” Root smiled playfully at Shaw. “Not that I mind your company.” Shaw rolled her eyes at the other woman, but something else quickly caught her attention. A young girl and a man much older than herself were walking out the backdoor into the alley behind the pub, the man’s grip a bit too forceful for Shaw’s liking. She looked over at Root, who nodded at her, before they both walked after them.

“Please don’t,” the girl cried as they exited the door. The man was pointing a gun at the girl, his other hand firm on her waist. He didn’t appear to notice the two women at first, which Shaw quickly remedied. She grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her before she punched him in the face, breaking his nose.

“The lady said no,” Shaw said, before hitting him again, in the stomach. The impact made him lose his gun, which Root picked up and put in the waistband of her pants.

“You okay?” Root asked the girl, putting a careful hand on her shoulder. The girl nodded. They told a security guard what had happened when they went back inside, who took care of the man, and made sure the girl made it back home. The two women stayed at the pub for a while longer, before heading back home.

 

* * *

 

The others had made it back home, but only Cassandra was awake when Root and Shaw returned. She said goodnight and went to bed in the bedroom nearest Kira’s when she saw they were both in one piece. When they made it to their own bedroom, it didn’t take long before their lips met, and they were hurriedly undressing each other. Despite Shaw’s comment from previous in the day, Root ended up on top when they were both naked and on the bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to find a game she can actually beat Root at, Shaw agrees to a day out playing laser tag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you guys so much for reading this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

«This is stupid, and I’m 99 % sure you’re cheating!» Shaw said, throwing the Wii U controller down on the table.

“It’s not my fault I’m better at this than you.” _There was that damn smirk again_.

“Bullshit, there’s no way you getting a blue shell every damn time I take the lead is a coincidence, not to talk about the fact that the only time I’m in first place is when _you_ allow it!”

“So you admit that I’m better than you? I mean, if you’re only in first place when I allow it, I wouldn’t need to cheat to get past you again.” _Root looked so fucking smug_ , and all Shaw wanted to do was wipe the smugness away, how she hadn’t figured out yet.

“As fun as it is watching you be a sore loser, I think I like it better when we play with Kira, and you _don’t_ accuse me of cheating.” Root said, feigned hurt in her voice. Just as Shaw was about to make a retort, Root leaned towards Shaw in the couch, stealing a quick a kiss. “But, if you don’t wanna play anymore, I can think of a couple of other fun _activities_ that we can do.”

“You do realize Kira’s just getting dressed, right?” Root looked at Shaw with feigned disappointment.

“Although I do like how your mind wanders, I was thinking of Laser Tag, it’s the closest thing you’re gonna get to a gun when She doesn’t have anything for us to do.” Shaw considered the words, if she was being honest she had never played Laser Tag before, but a game where she might actually beat Root did sound awfully inviting. Cassandra and Kira walked into the living room, and Root turned to face them.

“How do you two feel about Laser Tag?” Kira’s face lit up at the question. Root looked expectantly back at Shaw.

“Fine, but I’m driving, and there better be food somewhere in the mix

 

* * *

.”

“So, are the two of you going to be a team?” Cassandra asked Root and Shaw.

“No way, I’m playing this to beat her!” Shaw said, certain this was a game that she could _finally_ beat Root at.

“Absolutely not,” Root agreed, winking at Shaw.

“I’m teaming with the kid,” Shaw said, placing a hand at Kira’s shoulder. Kira grinned.

“Then I guess I’ll be playing with Cass,” Root smiled, putting an arm around Cassandra’s shoulders. Cassandra wasn’t unfamiliar with seeing Root competitive, she was, however, unfamiliar with seeing Root in something resembling a relationship.

When they were putting on their vests, Root placed herself right in front of Shaw, whispering in her ear.

“How about we make this a little more interesting?”

“What do you have in mind?” Root smiled smugly, as she placed a hand on Shaw’s thigh, slowly running it up her body.

“If you beat me, you get to top tonight.”

“And if you win?” Both women knew that on a normal night, Root would be the one topping either way, so it wasn’t exactly a reward for winning.

“If I beat you, I get to do whatever I want,” Root bit her lower lip, looking at Shaw. “Unless, of course, you’re scared you’ll lose.” Shaw rolled her eyes.

“You’re on,” Right after the exchange, the host gestured for them to follow her to the arena. It was fairly big, with lots of hiding places. The rules were simple enough, no touching, no running, no hiding of sensors. The game would last for three rounds, each round fifteen minutes, and if they were shot they were out of the game for five seconds.

Despite Shaw’s initial certainty that it wasn’t going to be hard to beat Root, she found herself being shot more than she was able to shoot. Shaw would sit in wait, from a reasonably good position, then out of seemingly nowhere Root would appear, either behind her, in front of her or to her side. She would shoot Shaw before she got a chance to react, before disappearing just as quickly as she’d appeared, a wide grin on her face every time. Even though Shaw managed to shoot Cassandra more times than she bothered counting, and Kira was pretty decent at shooting the opposite team, team Root, as Shaw had decided to call them, won the round, with Root being the highest ranking player.

“Look, Sameen, looks like I’m going to win,” Root smirked at her when they saw the scoreboard. Shaw glared back.

“Still two rounds to go,” _She was definitely going to beat Root the second round_. To Shaw’s slight surprise, she did fare much better the second round, and she was decently certain she had a higher score than Root. _Must be getting used to this stupid gun,_ Shaw thought, but couldn’t help feeling as if Root was _letting_ her win. The second round ended, and sure enough, team Shaw had won, Shaw being the highest ranking player. With only one round to go, Shaw was determined to give it her absolute best, there was no way she was losing to Root.

They were about half way through the last round when Shaw slowly turned to find Root standing behind her. She hadn’t shot Shaw yet, but she had her at a disadvantage, as Root was pointing her gun straight at Shaw, ready to shoot anytime, while Shaw’s gun was slightly to her side, having been aimed the other way before Root showed up. Shaw didn’t dare bring her gun up, certain Root would shoot her if she did, so instead she shot Root her most seductive smile, slowly walking towards her.

“Look, how about we call it a draw, turn around, and walk in the other direction?” Root looked affectionately at Shaw, before smirking and pulling the trigger. _Fuck,_ Shaw thought, hearing that annoying sound signaling she had been shot. Root was gone before she had time to refocus, definitely having picked up her game again since the previous round.

As the round finished, Shaw had no desire to look at the scoreboard, as she was decently certain Root had a lot more points than her, which meant two out of three rounds went to Root.

“Would you look at that, Sameen, I won,” Shaw could hear the smugness in Root’s voice, as Root turned Shaw to look at the scoreboard. Sure thing, team Root had won, and Root was yet again the highest ranking player.

“Great, winner buys dinner,” Shaw half-smiled back at Root, her stomach reminding her of how many hours it had been since she last ate. Despite having lost to Root at yet another game, Shaw couldn’t help but feel excited at what the night would entail, when Root claimed her reward.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Root claims her reward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if it wasn't rated M before, it certainly is now! *Warning* viewer discretion is adviced, this chapter is pure, shameless smut, if that's not your thing I suggest you skip it. I would also like to say that this is my first time writing smut, so I hope you guys like it!  
> Also, sorry for no chapter in a few days, I've been busy and haven't had much time for writing! As always, I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Root pushed Shaw on top of the bed the moment they were alone. She straddled her waist, using her legs to pin down Shaw’s thighs behind her. Her hands were on each of Shaw’s wrist, and her lips were pressed against Shaw’s, before she broke the kiss to bring her lips right next to Shaw’s ear.

“Time for me to claim my reward, don’t you think?” The words sent a shiver through Shaw as she nodded in response. Root moved her hands away from Shaw’s wrist, in favor of pulling off the other woman’s tank top and bra, and Shaw eagerly complied, being gently pushed down on the bed when her entire torso was bare. Shaw reached out to start working with Root’s clothes, but her wrists were quickly caught once more by Root, who pinned them on each side of Shaw’s head.

“Did I say you could touch me?” Shaw swallowed, shaking her head to answer. Root’s hands wandered over every patch of naked skin on Shaw’s upper body, before she brought her lips down to meet Shaw’s hard. When Root pulled away, she had a mischievous look in her face as she discarded the clothes covering her own torso, watching as Shaw’s eyes traversed every inch. She bent down to put her lips next to Shaw’s ear, and her breasts barely touched Shaw’s own.

“You can look, but you can’t touch.” Shaw bit her lip, _it was a stupid rule_ , she thought, but bit her lip to restrain herself from reaching out.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just cuff me?” Shaw barely managed to speak the words as Root started working on her neck, kissing and biting it.

“Maybe, but it’s so much more fun when _you_ have to restrain yourself.” Shaw could feel the smirk against her neck. Root’s hands and mouth continued to explore every inch of Shaw’s body, and it wasn’t long before Shaw was completely naked on the bed, opposed to Root who still had her panties on. Not that it did much to obscure her wetness to Shaw, who wanted nothing more than to put her own hands on Root’s body. She sighed in frustration, half because of Root’s stupid rule and half at the fact that Shaw was _extremely_ ready for Root’s hands to occupy the space between her thighs, when they seemed to be everywhere else. She’d tried to roll her hips, to urge Root to give her what she wanted, but that had only earned her a soft _“Patience, Sameen,”_ as Root pushed at her abdomen, stilling her movements.

“Root,”

“What’s the magic word, Sameen?”

“Fuck me,”

“No, not quite what I was going for,”

“Root, _please_ ,” Shaw’s words could barely be called a whisper, but Root smirked, meeting Shaw’s gaze, and putting her hand just where Shaw wanted it. She used her thumb to stimulate Shaw’s clit as she dipped two fingers inside of her. Shaw moaned, and Root once again claimed Shaw’s lips with her own, occasionally biting down on her lower lip, as she continued her movements to Shaw’s center. When she felt Shaw shudder beneath her, Root’s movements slowed until she eventually pulled her fingers out, kissing Shaw softly as she recovered from the orgasm. When she did, Root’s mouth and hands once again began to wander Shaw’s body, until Root sat up, a glint in her eyes. She brushed a thumb over Shaw’s bottom lip.

“Think you’ll be able to use your mouth?” Shaw nodded in response. Root quickly discarded her panties and sat down further up Shaw’s stomach, holding her gaze. She took the other woman’s hands in her own, guiding them down to rest on her hips.

“You may have your hands here, however you may not have them,” Root guided the hands to brush against her ass, “here, or” Next she guided them to her center, barely touching before being pulled away. “here, or here,” As Root said the last _here_ , she dragged Shaw’s hands from her thighs and up her body, letting them rest on her hips. "Or I will withdraw." Shaw nodded slowly, showing Root she understood. Root got up from Shaw momentarily, to turn, and Shaw already missed the contact, but it was soon replaced when Root’s face hung just above Shaw’s center, her thighs just in front of Shaw’s face. Shaw swallowed, then placed her hands on Root’s hips, careful not to let them wander, no matter how much they wanted to. As she felt Root using both her hands and her mouth on Shaw, while Shaw was only allowed to use her mouth, she made a mental note to somehow get revenge on Root later, when the other woman was not applying her skills so expertly to Shaw’s body.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By accident, John and Harold find out about Kira, and they all have dinner at Shaw and Root's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting! This chapter was inspired by a comment by Sav "I'm in love with this adorable story. It would be interesting to see someone else from team machine find out about Kira. Maybe Fusco?" No Fusco yet though! I hope you guys enjoy! There is a couple of sentences of M rated stuff at the very end of the chapter, just so you're warned.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Shaw sleepily made her way to the door of the apartment to still the offending sound daring to interrupt her breakfast before she had even managed to sit down to start eating it.

“Morning, Shaw,” John Reese showed himself to be the root of the offending sound, and before Shaw could process what was happening in her sleepy state, he walked past her into the apartment.

“Finch wanted me to stop b- Root? And?” If faces could mold into any shape at will, John’s would’ve resembled a question mark. Root shot up from her chair next to Kira, placing herself between her daughter and John.

“Lurch,” The word came out as a growl, and had the situation been different, Shaw would’ve found it incredibly hot, however, in the situation they were in, she was carefully watching the other woman, afraid she might do something Finch would scold them both for.

“Ever heard of waiting to be invited in?” Shaw asked annoyed, closing the door and positioning herself closer to Root, between Kira and John.

“I was worried, you haven’t answered any of our calls.” John paused, looking between the two women and the child behind them. “Who’s the kid?” Root’s mouth opened to say something, but before she could Kira was standing at her side. Root placed a hand on Kira’s shoulder out of her instinct to protect her child.

“I’m Kira,” Kira’s voice was friendly, she enjoyed meeting new people.

John looked at Root’s hand on Kira’s shoulder, his mind making a connection he hadn't thought ever could be possible. He felt awkward, and kind of scared at the murderous look Root was giving him. Coming to the conclusion that Shaw was obviously okay, and therefore the house visit no longer served a purpose, he opened his mouth.

“I should go, but Finch wants to see you both at the library.” He practically ran out the door, and out of the building, desperate to put as much distance between himself and the murderous glare Root had trained on him for the entirety of his stay.

Shaw didn’t know what to do, but she remembered a gesture supposed to comfort, and put a hand on Root’s shoulder. They sat down to resume breakfast before they had to leave to talk to Finch.

“Next time he walks in unannounced I’m doing something She’ll disapprove of.” Shaw knew that unless something happened to Kira, it was an empty threat. Root would never do something that the Machine would disapprove of so thoroughly, but the murderous stance Root had claimed in the presence of John did send a shiver down her spine, along with warmth between her legs, neither of which she was planning to admit anytime soon. They sat in silence, before waking Cassandra and leaving for the library.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Harry,” Root said, entering the part of the library housing Finch’s computer. She sent a cool glare in John’s direction. “Lurch,”

“Ah, Ms. Groves and Ms. Shaw, we have a new number.” If Finch noticed Root’s glare, he did nothing to acknowledge its existence.

“Who?”

“Danielle Stevens, a seemingly normal citizen, if you don’t count her criminal contacts.” Finch gestured to the board holding all the information he had dug up on their newest number.

“Ms. Shaw and Mr. Reese will take care of it, but if I may, I would like to speak with you Ms. Grov- Root.” Finch only used her chosen name when he wanted something from her, and she had an inkling of what it was, as John couldn’t seem to leave the library soon enough. Root leaned on Finch’s desk, waiting for him to talk as the two others left them alone.

“Mr. Reese tells me there’s a child-“ Root held up her hand, interrupting Finch. _Of course the pet had run straight to its master._

“Before you ask, I didn’t kidnap her,”

“Yes, well, I didn’t expect so either, Mr. Reese also tells me you’re quite protective of the child.” Finch seemed to be picking his words carefully, no doubt having heard of the glare Root had shot at John. Root sighed.

“Harry, is there a point to this conversation?”

“Yes, well, it occurs to me that I appear to be the only one of our little team who hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting the little one…” Finch let the words hang in the air, halfway afraid of how Root would react.

“You wanna meet her?” Root raiser an eyebrow.

“If it’s not too much to ask,” Root spun the words in her mind, the cat was out of the bag, and she didn’t really see the point in putting it back in if the bag was going to be transparent from now on. She sighed, then spoke.

“Number shouldn’t take long, dinner at seven, I believe you already know the address. Now did you need me for something regarding the number?” Finch was relieved at the outcome of their chat, and also at the change of subject, one that he did not feel the need to thread so carefully.

“Just back-up in case things don’t go to plan, but as long as you keep the line open, I see no reason for you to linger.” Root nodded, then turned to leave the library, calling Shaw on the way out.

“Bye Harry,” she shot over her shoulder before leaving him to his own devices.

 

* * *

 

“Root?”

“Hey sweetie,”

“Something wrong?”

“Apart from the impending lecture from Harold about all the reasons why I probably shouldn’t be a mother?”

“You don’t know that’s gonna happen,” _Especially not if he gets to see the side of Root that Shaw had spent the past few weeks observing._

“Please, this is Harold, he could probably lecture ice about being too slippery if he was in the right mood. However, the reason I’m calling is to tell you dinner’s at 7, with Harryand Lurch, if he wants to come, and I expect you to be there as you got us into this.” _Why did Shaw have to be so sleepy before breakfast?_ There was a cheery tone accompanying Root’s words, and Shaw hoped that meant the other woman wasn’t angry at her.

“Hey, you had me at dinner,” Shaw said, before they both hung up. Shaw turned to face John.

“I swear, if she withholds sex because of you,”

“Okay, I really don’t need to know about what you guys do when we’re not around,”

“Then you shouldn’t barge into people’s apartments without being invited.” Shaw felt slightly annoyed, but she couldn’t help but smirk at John’s obvious uncomfortableness. “How’d you find the apartment, anyway?”

“Finch tracked your phone,”

“Of course he did,” Shaw sighed then rolled her eyes. “Dinner’s at seven, Finch’ll be there, you’re also invited.” John nodded, and then they sat in silence for a while, waiting for something to happen to the number. Shaw was the first to break the silence.

“Hey Reese, you ever played laser tag?”

“A few times, why?” Shaw bit her tongue, she felt slightly uncomfortable under John’s probing gaze.

“You any good?”

“I’m decent.”

“I don’t need decent, I need someone who’s good enough to beat someone who’s excellent.”

“Practice makes perfect, right? Why?” Shaw closed her eyes, extremely aware that when she first asked what she was planning on asking, she couldn’t take it back.

“I need to get better at it, so that I can take my revenge on _someone_ for _something_.”

“You’re asking me to train you?” _Reese actually had the fucking audacity to smirk at her._

“No, I’m asking you to be target practice.” Shaw glared at John, daring him to say something. He swallowed, and then nodded.

“Suppose I can do that,”

“Good, and don’t you dare say anything to Root.” They sat in silence for the rest of the mission. It turned out Ms. Stevens was a hired gun at night, a couple of punches and a call to Fusco later, and they were free to go.

 

* * *

 

18:55 o’clock and there was a knock on the door to Shaw and Root’s apartment. As Kira and Root carried the last of the dinner to the dining table, Shaw went to open up, revealing Finch, a bottle of red wine in his hands, and John.

“Good evening, Ms. Shaw,” Shaw took the wine and put it on the table, the two others following her into the apartment.

“Ms. Groves.” Finch nodded towards Root. “And this must be Kira,” Kira looked questioningly up at her mother, before skipping over to Finch and shaking his hand.

“Kira, this is Harold, and John was here earlier.” Root gestured to the dining table. “Dinner’s served, hope you’re hungry.” Root sat with Shaw on her left and Kira on her right, the boys sitting on the opposite side of the table. Dinner went by mostly silently, with the rare awkward try at a conversation. The only one who seemed unaffected by the awkwardness was Kira, who was just excited at the chance to get know someone new. Root did have to give Finch some credit, he hadn’t mentioned anything about how her lifestyle was unfit for raising a child, and actually seemed to be relaxing in the former-killer-for-hire’s apartment. They were well into the bottle of wine that Finch had brought, apart from Root who appeared to be having a silent contest with Kira about who could drink the most cans of Pepsi.

When she was done with eating, Shaw couldn’t help but look at Root. The Root that Finch amd Reese hadn’t seen before, but that Shaw had spent the past few weeks living with. She felt something, uncertain what, but whatever it was made Shaw inch closer to Root’s chair, placing an arm on top of its back, fingers barely brushing Root’s shoulder. It occurred to Shaw that it was probably jealousy, jealousy that someone else got to take part in this side of Root, in this part of their lives. Root automatically leant back into the arm, but froze for two seconds as she was sure the other woman would retract her hand, _but she didn’t_. Shaw had decided then that for as long as it was Root wanted, that Root was _hers_ , she would let the world, or at least the other half of their team, know.

“Who’s up for dessert?” Root asked when it became clear that everyone was done eating. Shaw helped her take the dirty dishes into the kitchen, and bring out the dessert. Seeing as it would become difficult eating dessert with one hand around Root, Shaw instead decided on sitting so close that their knees touched.

“Sameen,” Root smiled innocently at Shaw. “I think I’ve got something on my lips.” Shaw was  pretty certain the chocolate pudding on Root’s lips was not an accident, and she surprised the table when she leant in to kiss Root’s lips, taking the pudding into her own mouth. When she pulled away she got a surprised but flirty smile from Root and Finch and Harold were suddenly very interested in looking down on their own dessert instead of on Root and Shaw. Plus she got some more chocolate pudding. _Perhaps this whole affection thing wasn’t so bad after all._  

haw looked at the watch at her phone, which showed 23:13. Now, Shaw wasn’t usually the one to reinforce Kira’s bedtime, but she wasn’t usually so desperate to have Root for herself either, so the words coming out of her mouth were completely logical when added up.

“It’s getting late, and it’s way past a certain someone’s bedtime.” Shaw announced, hoping their two guests would take the hint. Finch was the first one to get up from the table.

“I suppose it’s time for us to leave, I had a lovely time Ms. Shaw, Ms. Groves,” Reese just nodded in confirmation.

“I’ll get Kira ready for bed and you can show them out.” Shaw said, and when she saw Finch head in Bear’s direction, she added. “Bear can stay, unless you need him for something?” Finch shook his head and instead headed for the door, but stopped in front of Root, putting a hand on her arm.

“Ms. Groves, Root, she’s an amazing child, you’ve done a good job.” Root’s eyes lit up at the compliment, and she smiled back at him.

“Tanks Harry,” Root nodded to Reese before the two guests left the apartment, and went to say goodnight to Kira.

When Kira had fallen asleep, Shaw grabbed Root’s arm, pulling her towards their bedroom. “I think it’s time for someone else to go to bed too, don’t you?” Root nodded, there was something in Shaw’s eyes that she couldn’t quite place, and was thoroughly surprised when she was pushed down on the bed, Shaw straddling her waist. Root raised an eyebrow at her, and put up half a fight against Shaw, before giving in for once and staying on the bottom, intrigued to what was running through the other woman’s mind. Shaw quickly discarded Root’s sweater and bra before starting an attack her neck, sucking and biting, leaving a trail of marks from her neck and down her chest. _At the moment, Root was **hers** , and she was intending on leaving marks to show it._

“You know what I think?” Root let out a sharp breath as teeth grazed her nipple, but went on when she got a grunt in response. “I think we should host dinner parties more often, if this is the consequence.” Suddenly needing to feel Shaw’s skin against her own, Root started tugging on her sweater. Shaw complied, but continued her assault the moment the offending items were out of the way, her mouth making its way down toowards Root’s waistline.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a while since the last chapter, but school’s been keeping me busy. I’ve also started another shoot fic, which I will probably post the first chapter of this weekend, if you guys wanna check that out. As always thanks for comments and kudos and reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! This one's a little different, as a lot of the chapter is explaining the situation in the game, but I hope you guys enjoy it still. This is totally inspired by the fact that there is currently a storm where I live, and I really love pandemic.  
> If you have never played pandemic before, I’m gonna attempt to explain it. It’s a board game, and it’s the players against the game, so while everyone is trying to cooperate to cure four diseases, the game is working to turn those four diseases into a pandemic. There are three different ways to lose,   
> 1\. Eight outbreaks (diseases spreading from one city to every city connected to it),   
> 2\. There are no more disease cubes left (disease cubes are placed on the board when a city is infected, “adding” one more when there are three in a city will result in an outbreak)  
> 3\. You run out of player cards  
> There’s only one way to win the game, you find a cure to all four diseases. Through the game, after every player’s turn you draw infect cards to infect cities with diseases, and in the player deck, which houses event cards and city cards which you need to find cures, there are epidemic cards. These cards makes you put three disease cubes in a city, then shuffle the discarded infect cards and put them back in the draw pile. You also increase the infect rate(how many infect cards you draw), which will gradually go from 2 to 3 to 4.  
> To find a cure a player needs to have five cards of the same color, or in the scientist's case, four. The role cards used in this chapter:  
> Medic: The medic removes all cubes, not 1, of the same color when doing the treat disease action. If a disease has been vured, they automatically remove all cubes of that color from a city, simply by entering it or being there.  
> Dispatcher: move any pawn, if its owner agrees, to any city containing another pawn, or move another's player pawn, if its owner agrees, as if it were their own  
> Quarantine specialist: Prevents both outbreaks and the placement of disease cubes in the city they are in and all cities connected to that city.  
> Scientist: The scientist needs only 4 city cards of the same color to discover a cure for that disease.  
> If you're playing with someone who's played before, chances are those four diseases will be named, and that one of them will be the zombie apocalypse.  
> Here is a link to a picture of a board: http://d1mvvfdyo8jq4k.cloudfront.net/media/cache/45/78/45788eaa90eb7897e2935d5e3ea4f00c.jpg

“Root, there is no way you’re going out in this weather, I don’t care what your robot overlord wants you to do, it can wait until the storm has stilled.” Root cocked her head, thinking through her options, but her thoughts were cut short when the light went out around them.

“Fine,” she sighed. She reasoned that it wasn’t that important to do now anyway, if it was the Machine would tell her. As Root started taking off her boots, Kira, Cassandra and Bear trotted through the front door, all three of them drenched. Shaw went to find the flashlight she kept by her side of the bed.

 

“Come on Sameen, it’ll be fun, what else do you propose we do? We’ve got no power, and going out is not an option…” If the storm was bad when Root had thought of going out before, it was terrible now. They could feel slight shaking in the building, and the wind was hitting hard on the apartment windows. There were candles all around the living room, giving little light to the little group confined in their apartment.

“If you’re scared of losing, there’s no need. In Pandemic either we all win and save humanity, or we all die as we tragically try to save humanity, but we do it together.”

“I’m _not_ scared of losing,” Shaw glared at Root, but sat down next to the other woman in defeat when Kira joined in, asking her to play. Why they got pleasure from a game intent on infecting all of humanity, Shaw did not know.

“Great,” Root said cheerily, and started setting up the game. Although she didn’t say it out loud for Shaw to hear, she decided to play on “easy”, only using 4 epidemic cards.

“There’s no way me getting the medic is a coincidence,”

“Sameen, you saw me shuffle the role cards, I’m not rigging the game,” Shaw had gotten the role of the medic, while Root had gotten scientist, Kira dispatcher and Cassandra had gotten quarantine specialist.

“We have to name the diseases!” Kira smiled at the rest of the group.

“Fine, red’s the zombie apocalypse,” Shaw said, which earned her a smirk from Root, saying _how did I know you were gonna say that?_ “And yellow’s the AI apocalypse,”

“It needs to be a virus, something that can spread,” _Of course Root was gonna be a voice of reason whilst naming the hypothetical diseases in the fictional game._

“Fine, then it’s those tiny robot things that enter your brain and takes you over for the AIs fighting in the AI apocalypse.” Root gave Shaw an affectionate glance.

“Black as the black death?” Cassandra asked, and was given agreeing nods in return.

“And blue as Illyria,”

Before the game had even truly begun, Illyria and the AI apocalypse had already claimed four cities each. The first epidemic card came on Cassandra’s turn, and although it could have done some damage, the team was lucky to have the quarantine specialist in the connecting city of the one that was supposed to have three disease cubes placed in it. After that it went relatively well, until Shaw drew an infection card named Johannesburg, causing an outbreak of the AI apocalypse.

“Told you the Robot Overlords can’t be trusted,” Shaw smirked at Root. Root batted her eyes innocently at Shaw, and the game went on.

The next time an epidemic card was drawn, by Root this time, they were not as lucky as the first time. Tokyo got infected, and Root played an event to remove Johannesburg from the game, not wanting another outbreak from the city with three AI apocalypse disease cubes on it. Turns out she should have removed Tokyo, as the infection card was drawn the next turn, ending in outbreak number two, this time from the zombie apocalypse. Shaw felt an arm around her waist, and a mouth near her neck.

“Better be careful, or the zombies are gonna get you.” Root said playfully, teeth barely grazing Shaw’s neck. Shaw lowered her head, lips coming to a stop next to Root’s good ear, and said quietly for only the other woman to hear.

“Maybe if you didn’t like biting me so much, we wouldn’t have to be worried about the zombies.”

“Look who’s talking,” Root bit her bottom lip as she pulled away, and they returned to the game once more. It was Cassandra’s turn, and she spent it discovering a cure to the zombie apocalypse. One disease down, three to go. Come Root’s turn and she was able to discover a cure to Illyria, which was eradicated next turn by Shaw. The third epidemic card was drawn, and this time the infection card was a blue city, but seeing as Illyria had been eradicated, no cubes were placed. However, the infection rate was now up to three cities per round, instead of two. All went well until the infection round, when Los Angeles got drawn, and an outbreak occurred with the AI apocalypse, now putting them on three outbreaks. However, Shaw had just gotten enough yellow city cards to be able to find a cure for the AI apocalypse, and in her turn used the opportunity. Three diseases down, one of them eradicated, which only left the black death.

Another outbreak occurred, by the black death no less, and the outbreak counter was up to four. An air of concentration had settled around the group of four, trying to get enough black city cards to rid the world of the final disease and save humanity. Kira had four black city cards, and the group decided that their goal should be to get Kira one last black card, before the black death ravaged the world. When the group saw the last epidemic card be drawn, they collectively held their breaths, hoping it wouldn’t cause chain outbreaks. They were lucky, as the city to be infected was linked to the city with the quarantine specialist. It became Shaw’s turn, the last turn before Kira would be able to cure the black death, and she used the _One Quiet Night_ event, making it to so they skipped the next infect turn, almost securing their victory right then and there. Kira was up next, and in one action she had found a cure for the black death, and they had won the game. High-fives were sent around the board, and, even if she might not admit it, even Shaw had had fun playing with her nerds, saving fictional humanity from four hypothetical diseases.

“Would you look at that, no zombies or AIs infecting us today,” Root smirked at Shaw, who rolled her eyes in return. They packed up the game, the storm still going outside, and a wave of exhaustion went through the group, which resulted in them collectively deciding to go to bed.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, Bunny?”

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Kira wasn’t particularly fond of storms, and this one was howling straight outside her bedroom window. Root looked questioningly at Shaw, who stood behind Kira’s back. Shaw rolled her eyes, but nodded. _God, I’m turning into such a softie,_ she thought to herself as she walked to the bedroom, the two others trailing just behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize Illyria is not the name of a disease, but I rewatched season 5 of Angel not too long ago, and I have feels, and I thought I would give them to you guys as well. Besides, Root totally cured that shit (unlike someone else also played by Amy Acker :( ) I'll try to get another chapter up either tomorrow or sunday, which will be less game, more them actually doing stuff, but I can't promise anything!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you so much for reading and leaving comments and kudos, and I hope you enjoy this chaper!

«Root, do you think you can keep quiet for just two seconds?”

“You weren’t complaining about my mouth last night.” Even though they weren’t in the same room, Shaw could hear the smirk on Root’s lips through the coms.

“Yeah, well, last night you weren’t using it for talking.”

“Please, Ms. Shaw and Ms. Groves, can we keep personal conversations off the coms?” Shaw smirked as she heard Finch’s voice, one of her favorite things ever since Finch and Reese found out about _whatever_ it was that was going on between her and Root, were to make the other half of their team uncomfortable. And really, Root only had to open her mouth and a golden opportunity would arise for Shaw.

“Number’s on the move, coming your way Root” Reese cut in.

“I see her,” Root said, before she started walking towards the number. Root was inside the number’s work building, trying to dig up more information, while the mayhem twins were outside, watching the building through snipers. They were mainly waiting either for a perpetrator to show up, or for the number to do something stupid.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” Root gave an apologetic smile after having not-quite-accidentally run into their number, stealing her keycard in the process.

“It’s fine, it’s easy to get distracted in her.” The number smiled at Root, touching Root's shoulder gently. She put her free hand out towards Roots. Root put on a more flirtatious smile and shook the number’s hand.

"I’m Eve,” said the number.

“Claire,”

“I like it. I don’t recall seeing you here before, new around here?”

“Yes. Why, you know someone who can show me the ropes?” Root raised her eyebrows suggestively, flirting with number never had quite the same ring to it as if she was flirting with Shaw, but she did find the two easily separable. The former was for making her job easier, the latter because Root enjoyed it.

“Root! You are not flirting with our potential-perp number,” Root could feel Shaw’s glare through the coms, but she had gone into the building to find information, and she did find flirting often got her a lot of just that.

“I’m afraid I don’t have time right now, but if the offer still stands later, I’m sure there’s a lot of things I can show you,”

“Shame, I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

“Would it look bad if I shot her? Working in that shady building she’s probably a perp anyway.”

“I don’t think Harry would approve, Shaw. Besides, you know you’re the only one I want showing me ropes.” Shaw rolled her eyes at Root’s innuendo, then directed a death glare at their numbe through the scope of her rifle. A couple of minutes later the number had exited the building, and Reese moved closer to her. Shaw stayed where she was, should Root get into trouble there was a roof connecting the one Shaw was on with the building Root was inside of, meaning Shaw could easily move to help her. Root went further into the building, until Shaw was no longer able to see her through the riflescope.

“Root, you find anything?” _It’s not that Shaw was worried about Root or anything, but they needed Root alive for the mission._

“Not yet, but hopefully on the other end of this door. Why, are you worried about me?”

“No,”

Root swiped the number’s keycard and the door unlocked. There was suddenly a lot of sound in her right ear, the Machine’s warning coming all too late. The moment Root stepped into the room someone pushed her into a wall, and she felt handcuffs close around her wrists.

“Root?”

“There might be a slight problem,” That was all Shaw needed before she was running across the roof, towards the building with Root in it. _Of course she had to get herself into trouble, it wasn’t like she had an all seeing robot in her ear 24/7._ Gun drawn, Shaw kicked in the door leading to Root, and immediately put one bullet in each of the two kneecaps, and an extra in the foot for good measure, of the person standing next to Root. The person fell to the ground and Shaw rushed to Root. There was a needle lying at the other woman’s feet.

“Damnit, what’d they give you?”

“I don’t know, but it makes me feel all tingly,” Root reached out with her arms to try to catch something, but was unsuccessful due to the handcuffs still around her wrists. Shaw rolled her eyes and quickly picked the lock on the handcuffs.

“Can you walk?”

“I think so,” Root started standing up, but didn’t make it far before she fell into Shaw. “Oops, my legs are wobbly,” Root giggled. Shaw tried to think through their options, more people would probably be in the room soon, Root couldn’t walk, at least not fast, Shaw seriously doubted she could use her gun, and Shaw did not fancy being stuck in a room without an escape route with people shooting at her.

“Don’t ever mention this,” Shaw said as she scooped Root into her arms. It was the easiest solution she could think of, she just had to make it outside with Root alive. Root instantly snuck her arms around Shaw’s neck, resting her head against the other woman’s shoulder. It didn’t take long before they made it outside, thankfully without running into anyone.

“You guys okay?” The voice suddenly in Shaw’s ear belonged to Reese.

“Yeah, just had a slight hiccup, the number?” _Was it bad if Shaw hoped she was the perp?_

“Took a bullet in her arm, but she should be fine. It fared a little worse for the people trying to kill her, however,”

“You need any help?”

“No, you guys can go, I’ll call Lionel, tell him I’ve got all these presents ready to be found.”

Shaw started walking, Root still in her arms.

“Phone?”

“It's in my pocket,” Root shot Shaw what she thought was a seductive smile, but was anything but thanks to the drug in Root’s system. Shaw reached into Root’s pocket and took out the phone, dialing Cassandra.

“Hey Cass, it’s Shaw. I’m just calling to say that Root and I won’t be home tonight.” There was a pause as Cassandra spoke on the other end. “No, we’re fine, just more convenient to stay at a hotel.” With that, Shaw hung up, slipping the phone into her own pocket incase Root should get some less-than-smart ideas.

“You’re like my Dark Knight,” Root whispered into the crook of Shaw’s neck. Shaw raised a questioning eyebrow. “Well, you’re not exactly walking around in white, and why would you, when you look so hot in black.” That earned her an eye roll. “And you’re always helping me when I need you to.” They both fell silent after that, and soon they reached a hotel.

“Root, I need you to stay here while I get us a room, can you do that?” Shaw had put Root down outside the hotel, and she was now leaning against the building.

“ _Any_ thing for you, Sameen,” Root purred. The wall she was leaning against was easily spotted from inside the lobby, and Shaw quickly made her way to get them a room before leading Root inside the building, careful not to make the fact that the other woman had been drugged known. Unsurprisingly, the Machine had already gotten them a room, one of the more comfortable in the building. When they were inside the room, Root leaned into Shaw, catching her lips in a sloppy kiss, but Shaw pushed her off.

“We’re not doing this,”

“Why not?” Root pouted.

“Because you’re drugged,”

“And?”

“And in no state to give any kind of consent. The only thing we’ll be doing tonight is sleeping.” Root was about to argue, but when Shaw pushed her onto the bed she felt overcome with sleep. When she heard Shaw’s voice again, she felt more annoyed than turned on.

“Up,” The voice was commanding, and Root sat up, half-way being pulled by Shaw.

“Why?”

“Because I’m assuming you don’t want to sleep in your jacket and shoes, among other things.” Root was still slightly annoyed that Shaw had made her sit up, but let the other woman undress her, until all that remained was a black tank and her panties. When Shaw laid down next to Root, she felt the other woman shuffle closer to her, until Root’s back was touching Shaw.

“I’m cold,” she whispered, turning her head slightly to look at Shaw, _with those damned puppy eyes._ Shaw sighed, but figuring it was easier to comply than to argue, she put an arm around Root’s waist.

“Thank you,” Shaw felt the words more than heard them, before Root fell asleep safely in Shaw’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came into existenve because I wonder what Root would be like when drugged, and thought, why not try and write it? [Also I've posted a new Shoot fanfic, if you guys want to check it out that'd be cool.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5860117/chapters/13507804)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for not updating latley, school's been really stressful, and I find it hard to write when i'm stressed, hopefully it'll ease soon though! As always thanks for the kudos and commenting and for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Shaw blinked slowly, trying to figure out where she was. There was a pair of lips gently pressed against her own, but they were gone as soon as Shaw began to stir. Brown eyes were staring down at Shaw.

“Morning Sweetie,” Root smiled at her. Shaw tried to move her legs to sit up, which she soon discovered would not be so easy; Root was straddling her waist. Shaw looked around at her surroundings, _this was not her bedroom_.

_Right, the hotel,_ Shaw thought, the previous night coming back to her. Root leant down to kiss her once more, this time more deeply. She broke the kiss in favor of kissing her way along Shaw’s jawline, making her way to Shaw’s ear.

“You took such good care of me last night, I thought I’d repay the favor,”

“Don’t we have to get out of here soon?”

“Checkout isn’t until twelve, we have three hours,” Root had started her way down Shaw’s neck, biting and kissing the sensitive skin.

“And the Machine?” Root sighed at Shaw’s words, and pulled away.

“Nothing, but if you want me to stop…” Just as Root was about to turn away, Shaw’s arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her down for another kiss.

“I’ll give you one guess.”

 

* * *

 

“So, what’s the plan for today?”

“She hasn’t got anything for me yet, but in three seconds you’re gonna get a call from Harry,” Just as Root stopped talking, Shaw’s phone started ringing.

“Finch?”

“Ms. Shaw, we have a new number,”

“On my way,”

Root watched Shaw walk away, before walking in the opposite direction. Root had a sudden craving, and on her way home she found herself in front of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the local grocery store. She picked up two containers of cookie dough ice cream; the usual for herself, Kira and Cassandra, but in the last second she picked up two more, considering Shaw would be coming home later. Ice cream in hand, she quickly walked the rest of the distance to the apartment.

 

* * *

 

When she got home, Kira and Cassandra sat on the couch watching TV, Bear resting at their feet. Kira’s eyes shot up at the ice cream in her mother’s hands the moment she stepped inside the apartment.

“Hey guys,” Root smiled, before walking into the kitchen and putting the ice cream down on the counter. Kira skipped after her, all the time eyeing the ice cream, before shooting a pleading look at Root. Root sighed; she knew there was no denying the look on her daughter’s face, even though the ice cream had been intended as dessert. She found three bowls and filled them with ice cream, taking two with her to the couch, for herself and Cassandra, while Kira walked over with her own bowl. The three started talking, mainly about what Kira and Cassandra had been up to the day before, before they turned their attention to the TV. Some cartoon that Root was only half-paying attention to filled the room with sound. When they were done eating the ice cream, Kira laid down on the couch, with her head in her mother’s lap, and her feet in Cassandra’s lap, Root playing with her hair.

 

* * *

 

John and Shaw walked along the streets of New York, having successfully prevented a nurse from killing her boss. They were on their way to the laser tag arena; it had become sort of routine for them after a job. John might not have been better at it than Root, but practicing with him made Shaw better, while it also gave her a chance to get to know the arena better.

The three rounds they played went by rather quickly, but Shaw was pleased with the results. John had barely gotten any shots at her, while she had shot him many times, perfecting her strategy. She thought she was finally ready to take Root on again, and this time, Root wouldn’t know what hit her.

“You can tell Finch that if he calls me on Sunday, he and everyone else besides me who can help him, better be at gunpoint.” John raised his eyes questioningly at Shaw.

“Is this your way of saying you’re taking the day off?” Shaw only grunted in response. She saw a surveillance camera, and glared at it, certain it had caught the words she had originally been relaying to John, her message also applying to the Machine.

 

* * *

 

Root yawned, it was getting late and the little group of three had almost fallen asleep on the couch.

“Hey, Bunny, time to go to bed,” Root sighed, and Kira sleepily got up from the couch. Root went with her to get ready for bed, while Cassandra started cleaning up after the ice cream, but forgetting about the empty container standing just in view from the living room. Root sung Kira a song, before saying goodnight to Cassandra and going into her own room; despite not doing much the entire day, Root felt exhausted.

“Is Shaw okay?” she asked absently, seemingly into the air, but she knew She would be listening.

_Primary Asset Shaw is not in immediate danger._

“Good,” Root whispered, before drifting off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Shaw yawned as she entered the apartment, finding the living room dark and empty. She caught sight of an empty container of Ben & Jerry’s on the kitchen counter, but didn’t feel like cleaning, instead walking over to her bedroom. Root was already asleep on the bed, but stirred as Shaw entered.

“Hey Sweetie,” Root probably tried to sound like her flirty self, but she was too sleepy to actually manage it.

“Hey,”

“Are you hurt?” Root half opened her eyes to try and look Shaw over as she undressed and settled under the sheets.

“No,”

“Good,”

“What, not gonna inspect every inch of me? For all you know I could be lying to you and bleeding out in the bed as we speak.”

“In the morning,” Root said, before planting a sleepy kiss on the other woman’s lips. “Definitely in the morning.”

"There better be more of that ice cream left,"

"There is, wouldn't want you to go somewhere else for your sugar high," A little smiled played at Shaw’s lips as Root once more fell asleep, and she placed a hand on Root’s stomach. It was the closest thing the two came to cuddling, apart from the rare occasion of Root being both drugged and cold, and Shaw being too tired to argue. Shaw fell asleep not long after, exhaustion claiming her as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter probably isn't gonna get done by sunday, but we'll just have to pretend it's sunday when it does get done


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are waiting for The Hunt, I am almost finished with the next chapter, but after last night's episode of The 100 I needed fluff, so I finished this chapter instead, hope you guys enjoy!  
> Thank you guys so much for commenting and leaving kudos, I know I suck at responding to comments but I need you guys to know that I read every single one and they leave me with the biggest grin on my face, so please never stop doing that!

“Mommy, wake up!” Root was awakened by Kira practically jumping in the bed.

“I’m awake,” She yawned, before pulling Kira into a hug.

“Come on,” Kira said, half-dragging Root into the living room. Shaw and Cassandra was standing next to a bag and Bear was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s going on?”

“Cassandra’s sister and niece are staying in town, so we thought Cassandra and Kira might want to spend the night with them, if you’re fine with it, apparently Kira is friends with this niece.”

“Oh, any particular reason I’m just now hearing about this?”

“I didn’t know she was coming before last night, and we thought the two of you might want the day to yourselves, considering the date.” _Oh, it was February 14 th._ Root bit her lip and looked at Shaw, who nodded back. Part of Root wondered if this was Shaw’s idea, a thought which put a smile on her lips. Kira looked at her mother with hopeful eyes.

“Well, if it’s okay with you guys I don’t see the harm.” Root leant down and gave Kira a kiss on her cheek and a hug. “You have fun with Chloe,”

After Cassandra and Kira had left, Root turned to Shaw.

“Where’s Bear?”

“He’s with Finch.”

“You gave up Bear to spend the day with me?”

“He needs to be taken care of, and we have plans. Just the two of us, no numbers, no errands, no distractions.”

“What kind of plans?” Root asked, before letting her eyes travel down Shaw’s body. “And I can think of plenty of distractions…”

“Let me rephrase that, there’ll be no distractions from **me**. And as for our plans, first, we’re going to eat breakfast.” Root only now noticed the dining table, which contained two platters each with their own stack of pancakes.

“And after breakfast?” By now, Root’s tone had become suggestive.

“After breakfast I was thinking you. Me.” Shaw paused as she bit her lip, before continuing. “Fake guns and lasers.” That brought a grin to Root’s lips.

“You want to spend Valentine’s playing laser tag?”

“Whoever wins gets to do whatever they want. Now go and eat so I can beat you at laser tag.”

“But I’d much rather eat you.” And there was that eye roll Root had grown so accustomed to seeing on Shaw’s face.

“ _Root,_ eat your breakfast or I’ll do it for it you.”

“Fine,” Root sighed in defeat.

 

* * *

 

“You know, I don’t see how you’re so sure you’re going to win, going by how last time went.” Root said as they followed their instructor over to the gear.

“Last time you had the advantage of having played before.”

“Still, not even Sameen Shaw can master laser tag with only playing one time.” Shaw glared at Root, but on the inside, she was smirking. _Maybe, if it had only been one time,_ Shaw thought.

They quickly geared up, the procedure the same as last time, three rounds, whichever team won the most of the rounds won the game. The two women smirked at each other, before going to opposite ends of the arena. A loud sound made itself heard throughout the arena, signaling the game had begun.

For the first round things were pretty even, both of them having gotten a good amount of shots at the other, but as fate would have it, Root got the highest score. Because of this, Root entered the second round cocky. She started making her way through the arena, towards a particular spot she remembered Shaw had been using to hide the last time they were there. She thought she heard someone shuffling a bit to her left, and walked quietly until she reached a small crook perfect for sniping. Only, Shaw was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Root looked around, but before her eyes could make it behind her back, the sound signaling she had been shot played from her vest. By the time she was facing the direction Shaw must have come from, the former assassin was gone without a trace. After that, it all went downhill for Root, and Shaw came out of the second round with the highest score. Shaw was determined to win the third round; it was what she had been spending weeks practicing with Reese for. Root had become a bit more paranoid, but her cockiness from before hadn’t disappeared completely, and she was certain that if she played her cards right, she should be able to come out on top.

The third round was pretty even, both women playing to the best of their abilities, but when they looked at the scoreboard after the round, Shaw smirked smugly at Root; _finally, she’d managed to beat her at something._ Root had a half-shocked expression on her face.

“How?”

“What, not used to being beaten?” To say that Shaw was not enjoying beating Root would be a big, big lie, with the Machine in her ear at all times, it was hard to get the upper hand on anything involving Root. Root cocked her head to the side, the way it did when the Machine was speaking to her, and then her expression changed; she got the widest grin on her face.

“What?”

“All those late nights with John, you were practicing to beat me? That is _so_ adorable!”

“Is there anything the Machine doesn’t tell you?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point.”

“Shut up.” Shaw shot her a glare, hoping against all odds that Root would just let the subject go. Root’s grin turned into a smirk, and she was suddenly standing so, so very close to Shaw.

“Make me.” Shaw bit her lip, but forced her face not to give off any more indication of what Root shooting her that look, with that voice, was doing to her.

“Later.” Shaw promised. “Now, you’re buying me a steak.”

“I distinctly remember that last time, the winner paid for dinner.”

“Well, then this time it’s the loser’s turn.”

“I’m starting to think you’re only keeping me around to pay for your something food.”

“Not true, you're also here so i can eat you.” Root’s slight flush and smile at the remark did not pass Shaw by. “But right now, it’s to buy me something to eat.”

* * *

The Machine had made a reservation for them at one of the finer restaurants in New York, and had already ordered and paid for their food. It was too much food for Root to eat, so halfway through her plate she pushed it over to Shaw, who more than happily finished, while Root staring affectionately at her the entire time. When they left, Shaw spotted something and told Root to stay put until she came back. She returned just moments later with a rose in her hand, quietly shoving it into Root's hands and ignoring that it had ever happened for the rest of the walk home. When they returned to the apartment, Shaw wasted no time in getting Root's clothes off and claiming her reward.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine’s filth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just spend the last few hours of my country’s national day to write shoot smut? Yes, yes I did
> 
> I’m really sorry for not updating in really long, I’ve just been super stressed out by tests and mock exams, and now my actual exams are gonna start, which I don’t even know how I’m gonna survive with POI airing at the same time. I’ll try to do better, this story is far from done, I still have a few ideas for a few chapters, and the beauty of this story is that as long as there’re chapter ideas, there can be an infinite amount of chapters.
> 
> You guys appeared to enjoy the last smutty chapter I did, so I though I’d try my hand at it again with way too late valentine’s smut, that does mean this chapter is nothing but smut, so if that’s not your thing, I advise you skip this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Shaw idly heard the sound of the door closing behind them before she pushed Root against the wall, pressing her lips against the other woman's. When they parted to breathe, Shaw took a couple of steps back.

“Take off your clothes and get on the bed,” Shaw said, as she herself walked over to the nightstand, opening one of the drawers. Root started slowly undressing, while Shaw closed the drawer, having found what she was looking for. When she reached Root again, the latter was standing in her bra and panties, and Shaw pushed her down on the bed.

“Too slow,” she said, before cold metal closed around Root’s hands and the headboard, and Shaw was straddling her waist.

“What, you don’t wanna see me restrain myself?”

“Please, Root, you and I both now you don’t have that kind of self-control.” Root smirked up at her, and Shaw’s gaze fell to her chest, still sporting a bra. Shaw reached out to the nightstand, grabbing a knife. Root’s breath hitched when she saw it. “And, since you were so slow with removing your clothes, I guess I’ll just have to improvise,” Shaw said, putting the point of the knife to Root’s sternum, pressing upwards to cut the bra in the middle. Then she moved on to the straps and threw the bra along with the knife aside. Root huffed.

“I liked that bra!”

“And I like you without the bra.” As if to punctuate her statement, Shaw kissed a line from Root’s jaw to one of her nipples, gently biting down.

“I think…I might agree with you on that.”

“Think? When I’m done with you, I _think_ you’ll be pretty happy without any clothes.” While she talked, Shaw moved down Root’s body to discard her panties, then moved back up to continue her assault on the other woman's nipples. She let her hands glide over Root’s torso, keeping every action above the waistline. After a little while, Root started wriggling beneath her.

“Didn’t know…you liked teas-…teasing so much, Shaw.”

“Yeah, well, that might have something to do with the person who always tugs my hair when she thinks I’m too slow.”

When Root started rubbing her thighs together, searching for some friction, Shaw stopped what she was doing to part Root’s legs.

“Keep them apart.” Root whined at the command, wishing Shaw would just get on with it, but also immensely enjoying this new teasing side of Shaw. Shaw resumed her actions, and Root tried, she really did, but when Shaw started slowly circling one nipple with her tongue, just like she would Root’s clit, and pinching the other with her hand, Root started rubbing her thighs together again. Shaw stopped her by putting one hand on each thigh, and looked down at her disapprovingly.

“Tsk, tsk, for someone who spends their entire day doing what the voice in your head tells you to do, you suck at following orders. So, I guess I’m just gonna have to help you out.” Shaw’s words were followed by her getting up from the bed and reopening the nightstand drawer. She withdrew two long pieces of cloth, which she proceeded to tie around Root’s ankles and the bed legs, effectively keeping Root’s legs apart.

“There, much better,” she said, as she straddled one of Root’s thighs. She started kissing down from Root’s neck as she let her hands wander over Root’s torso and thighs, anywhere but where Root really wanted her.

“Sameen,” Root whined, wriggling as much as her restrained position would let her. Shaw let out a grunt of acknowledgement.

“Sameen, _please.”_ Shaw raised her head and smirked down at Root as her hand _finally_ found it’s way between Root’s thighs. She gathered wetness, _and Root was so fucking wet,_ before slowly circling her clit. Then she kissed her way slowly down Root’s stomach, until her fingers were replaced by her mouth, ever so slowly working towards Root’s climax. When she could feel Root getting close, her tongue working quicker, she started thrusting two fingers into Root, reveling in the sounds coming from the tied down woman. When Root’s back arched off the bed, and she started clenching around Shaw’s fingers, Shaw slowed her pace until she eventually pulled out and with one last lick pulled her mouth away. She looked at Root with a mischievous look in her eyes before jumping off the bed.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Root watched Shaw walk out of the room, still fully clothed, and it felt like forever before she eventually came back, carrying something in her hand.

“Not sweet enough for you, sweetie?”

“I’ve yet to find something whipped cream can’t improve, no matter how good it tastes without.” Shaw put the can down on the nightstand before undressing herself until she was only wearing underwear. Root feasted her eyes, instead of the normal black boxers and plain, black bra, Shaw was wearing lacy red lingerie. She straddled Root’s waist after grabbing the can of whipped cream, searching Root’s eyes for permission. Root answered by looking expectantly at Shaw’s hand, and she sprayed just a little cream on Root’s neck, before licking and sucking just a little bit more than necessary to clean the cream from Root’s skin. Root moaned at the sensation. Considering her test a great success, Shaw sprayed a line from Root’s neck to her chest, but before she started lapping it up, she resettled herself so she had one of her thighs pressed against Root’s center, while one Root’s thighs was pressing against her own, through the fabric of her panties. She started grinding down as she alternated between spraying cold cream on Root’s skin and lapping it up with quite a bit more sucking and biting than strictly necessary. When she could feel herself getting close, she reached into her panties with one hand, finishing herself off while looking straight into Root’s eyes. It wasn’t hard to tell Root wanted nothing more but to get free of her restraints and replace Shaw’s hand with her own, and Shaw was enjoying every moment of it. After recovering from her own orgasm and emptying the can of cream, Shaw settled herself between Root’s thighs and started licking slow strokes all the way from Root’s entrance and up to her clit, lightly flicking her clit with her tongue, before working her way down again.

“You know…when you need a….a new place to sit…my face…is always available,” Root breathed out between moans. Shaw thought through Root’s words while bringing her to another orgasm, on one hand, she would be giving Root exactly what she wanted, on the other, Root did amazing things with her tongue. And so, when Root was recovering from her orgasm, Shaw discarded her underwear and made her wayup Root’s body. And, if Root’s cuffs somehow came unlocked and Shaw let Root fuck her into oblivion, who could really blame her? After all, Root did do amazing things with her tongue.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Easter in the shoot household

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter because I needed it after that episode, also I've had the Easter idea in my head for a while now.  
> I tried searching for info on Easter in the US, and it looked kind of similar to Norway, but there was a lot of stuff outside the house that I know nothing off and don't think these nerds would be too taken by anyway  
> Also, a while ago I changed my username, if anyone were confused by that  
> Also, thank you guys for getting this thing to over 500 kudos and over 100 subscriptions. Honestly, when I started this I was hoping a couple of people would like it, I can't believe over 100 people gets notified whenever I update my stupid fic.

“Sameen! Why is there a gun behind the bookcase?” Root called, carefully pulling the small handgun out. Shaw walked out of the kitchen, beer in hand and looked expressionlessly at the gun now in Root’s hand.

“Because if bad guys show up and I don’t have a gun on me, it’s nice to be able to defend myself.” Root raised her eyes.

“No guns where Kira can find them.”

“Fine, I’ll put them higher up. Why were you even looking behind the bookcase?”

“It’s Easter, Sameen. Haven’t you ever gone Easter egg hunting?”

“You’re hiding eggs?”

“Mhm. Chocolate ones, we do it every year. The Easter Bunny comes around, usually when Kira and Cass are taking a walk, this year with the addition of Bear, hiding chocolate eggs. Harry and the big lug are coming over for dinner later, we went over this.” Oh, yeah, Shaw had heard something along the lines of “good dinner” and that had been enough for her.

“I forgot. I’ll take the guns away for today, find higher ground for them tomorrow, and then you can finish hiding your eggs.”

“Sure you don’t wanna help the Easter Bunny out?” Root asked, walking closer to Shaw with the look of an animal hunting its prey. Somehow, Shaw thought that if Root got her way, Kira and Cassandra would be home long before the eggs were all hidden. Shaw couldn’t say she wasn’t tempted, but there was also the prospect of food later, and she really didn’t want that fucked up just because Root couldn’t focus enough to hide a few eggs. With a sigh, she put down her bottle of beer, grabbed the gun from Root’s hand and started working on finding the other guns she had hidden.

“Go hide your eggs.”

Root sighed, but started working on hiding the eggs, and got done just in time to put a basket outside the apartment door before the rest of the household came home.

  
“Mommy look! The Easter Bunny’s been here!” Kira yelled excitedly as she entered the apartment, followed by Bear and Cassandra, carrying the basket and a letter from “the Easter Bunny”, explaining how many eggs were hidden, and which room they could be found in. Shaw didn’t seem all that into it, but when Kira started pulling her hand and asking with those damn puppy eyes, Shaw reluctantly let the kid pull her around the apartment in search of eggs while Root prepared dinner. Although the hunt itself may not have been on Shaw’s to-do-list, the spoils of the hunt weren’t that bad.

Shaw occasionally helped out in the kitchen, sometimes because Root actually needed the help, and other’s because Root “missed her company” aka Root missed looking at her ass. Harold and John came around when dinner was ready, and the dinner was considerably less awkward than the last time they were all gathered in Root and Shaw’s apartment. Though, not due to a lack of trying on Root and Shaw’s part, the other part of their team had just gotten used to it. Plus, there was only so far you could go with a six year old at the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone needs to talk after that last ep, you can find me on tumblr @wardenroot


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst working a number at a strip club, Shaw figures out Root has never had a lap dance before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting a chapter today as well, coz let's face it, we all need it  
> The last half isn't smutty, but it does have a slight mature rating, just so you're warned

Shaw was  _ this _ close to breaking a few bones when she felt yet another hand try to land on her ass. She quickly turned around and grabbed the man’s wrist painfully but, sadly, not so forceful that the wrist broke. He muttered a quick apology and slouched back in his chair.

“Ms. Shaw, please keep the violence to a minimum.”

“What do you think I’m doing, Harold? If I wasn’t here for a number, a lot of wrists and other parts would need fixing after tonight. I don’t know how these women deal with this on a daily basis, I’m just a waitress and the people here think it their right to grab at me.” Shaw sighed as she put down a service tray filled with empty glasses that she had collected off the tables of the strip club’s patrons.

“Exhausting, aren’t they?” the number, Alycia, asked. “Wanna man the bar for a bit? I’m used to handling them out there.” Shaw gave a curt nod before switching places with the only other waitress/bartender there. She hoped this job would be over with sppm, the chances of her becoming a perpetrator was increasing with every glance sent her way. She turned around to fill a glass of whiskey for herself. The manager was nowhere to be seen, and she felt she deserved it after what she’d had to endure. Just as she downed the glass, she heard the sound of someone sitting down on one of the bar stools and a familiar voice speaking.

“What does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?”

“If you could tell me who the perp is so I can shoot them and get this over with, it would be a good start,” Shaw said, turning around to face Root.

“What’s the matter Sameen? Not having fun?” Just as Shaw was about to answer, a woman, one of the strippers, approached Root’s stool.

“Hey darling, care for a dance?” she asked, putting a hand on Root’s thigh. Root looked a little bit confused, a little bit uncomfortable, and, with a look at Shaw, a little bit scared. The latter was for the woman, not herself.

“No, she would not,” came Shaw’s curt reply as she glared daggers at the woman who had dared approach her… whatever the hell Root was.

“Jealous, Sameen?” Root asked with a smirk as the woman scurried off.

“We’re here for a number, at least I am, not to get lap dances.”

“I don’t know Sam, it’s akways fun to try something new.”

“Wait, you’ve never had a lapdance?” As soon as the words left Shaw’s mouth, one of the patrons pointed a gun at Alycia. Shaw was quick to respond, shooting him in the kneecaps. It was the douche who had grabbed at her before, and shootiing him was more than a little satisfying.

“No,” Root said, as they made their way towards the backdoor before the cops showed up. Shaw looked at her with confusion in her eyes.

“A lapdance, never had one.”

“Never?” Root just shook her head.

* * *

 

Root let out a breath as she collapsed on the bed. Shaw had gone to take a shower, saying something about "feeling dirty" and also that she respected the women who put up with that on a day to day basis. The Machine started speaking in her ear and she just lay there for a few minutes, before Shaw came out of the bathroom in nothing but a tank and black boxers. Root really appreciated the look.

“So, you’ve never had a lap dance, huh?” Root sighed, but shook her head. She honestly didn’t know what was so shocking about it. Shaw nodded and put on some music, before turning to Root with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She slowly made her way over to the bed, straddling Root’s lap and giving a firm roll of her hips as she leaned her head in close.

“Do you want one?” Root’s hands instinctively came up to rest on Shaw’s waist. She bit her lip as she glanced at Shaw. She had honestly never seen the appeal of someone grinding on her without actually doing anything, but when the image in her head was  _ Shaw _ grinding on her, it certainly became a lot more attractive. She looked into Shaw’s eyes as she slowly nodded her head. Shaw rolled her hips in response. Then, she placed her hands on Root’s and guided them back down on the bed.

“There’s just one thing, I’m in control and you can’t touch.” Root let out a whine at the statement, but obidiently kept her hands on the bed. Shaw smirked, it wasn’t often Root was at her mercy, and she always appreciated every second of it.

Shaw got up from Root’s lap, and Root once again whined at the loss of contact. Her plea for Shaw to come back, however, was lost as Shaw started slowly dancing to the music, grinding on something unseen. Root was definitely starting to get why people seemed to enjoy lap dances. After a little while, Shaw made her way back to straddle Root’s lap. Root’s hands were just about to land on Shaw’s waist when Root caught herself, fisting them in the sheets instead. Shaw smirked. She put her hands around Root’s neck, making a point of touching as much of her as her position allowed. She started grinding down on Root rhythmically as she put her lips close to Root’s; so close that if Root just turned her head up a little their lips would be touching. Before Root got to dwell more on it, Shaw brushed her lips gently against the corner of Root’s mouth, then followed an imaginary line to her jaw and then her neck, all the while keeping up her grinding rhythm. Root was starting to wonder why on earth she hadn’t done this before, she quite sure she could’ve stayed there for a very long while.

Shaw pulled back and put a hand on Root’s chest, pressing her down on the bed, before urging her higher up so she was completely on top of the bed. Then, she split Root’s legs and drew them up as she positioned herself on top of Root, between her legs, rolling her hips into her. Root let out a moan, she was fairly sure that if Shaw were to put her hand down Root’s pants, she’d find her wet and wanting. But Shaw had no such plans, reveling in the growing frustration on Root’s face, the little whines and moans she’d let out. Shaw pulled back for a second, enjoying the view of a frustrated Root just laying there. Normally, she would have taken control long ago, but she wanted a lap dance, and a lap dance she should have. Shaw pulled Root’s legs together and straddled her hips, putting a hand on Root’s chest to keep her down. Root’s eyes went wide as Shaw started grinding on her again, imaging the situation just a little bit different, Shaw was pretty sure. She filed the information away for later.

“Samee-” Root started letting out a whine, but lost all thought of words when Shaw’s hand moved up to her throat. She didn’t tighten her grip, but the image itself, the feeling of Shaw’s hand around her throat was enough to send a fresh wave of throbbing between her legs. When Shaw felt it was time to move on again, she slowly made her way up Root’s body, stopping when she was hovering just above her head, Root’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the dark patch on Shaw’s underwear, showing that Root was not the only one affected by this. She cursed Shaw’s rules, more than anything she wanted to reach out and pull Shaw down, but she had agreed to a lap dance, and so she (kind of, but not really) patiently waited for Shaw to make her next move. Shaw grabbed Root’s hair as she guided her face almost all the way to Shaw’s underwear, so close Root could smell her, before she started grinding, only this time there was a thin layer of air between Root’s body and her own.

Shaw gasped as she suddenly felt nails digging into her hips, scratching down slightly until they reached her underwear. Root’s eyes were dark with lust, and with one commanding “off”, Shaw quickly stood up to kick the boxers off, before lowering herself on top of Root once more. Root gripped her hips again as she guided Shaw’s body fully down to her face, lap dance completely forgotten as she finally got to claim Shaw’s body.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally i wanted another chapter before this one, but seeing as this one is done and the other is only half done and it's been a few months since i updated this, i'm just gonna post this as chapter 20, but i might change it when i get the other one done.  
> The prompt for this comes from maybesomedayroot, i hope you like it, and I really hope Shaw isn't too ooc in this, that's the last thing i want!  
> Thank you for all the comments and the kudos <3i can't believe it's over 600 kudos now!  
> I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Root turned the key to the apartment, slowly opening the door. It was late and she expected at least two of the three people she lived with to be asleep, the Machine had told her Shaw was home, but it wasn’t unusual for Shaw to be sitting on the couch, beer in hand, when Root came home. Now, however, the living room was dark. Root took extra care not to make much noise as she removed her shoes and jacket as not to wake anyone, and it wasn’t until she started walking towards the bedroom that she heard low voices coming from somewhere in the apartment. As she moved closer she could see that the door to the training room was a little open, and when she stopped just outside, she could distinguish the voices as those belonging to Shaw and Kira.

* * *

 

Shaw raised her hand to high-five Kira. It was something Kira liked to do after training sessions, and while Shaw didn’t quite get why, she didn’t exactly mind it either. Kira sat down cross-legged next to her water bottle, picking it up and taking a sip as she looked expectantly at Shaw. Shaw rolled her eyes but sat down opposite Kira, taking a swig from her own water bottle. They often did this as well after training sessions, for the most part just sitting in companionable silence while Kira caught her breath, but Shaw could tell by the thoughtful look on Kira’s face that today was not going to be one of those days, so she sat, waiting for Kira to speak.

“Is mommy your girlfriend?”

Shaw frowned, looking at the six year old. The expression on Kira’s face was completely serious, focused, just like it was when Shaw was teaching her how to throw a punch or how to take a(n easy) push-up. Shaw found herself not quite knowing the answer. Whatever it was that they were, they had never really labeled it past “whatever this is”, but the facts were that they lived together, they shared a bed and had a lot of sex, and ever since they started sleeping together, they hadn’t slept with anyone else. There was also the fact that Shaw felt… uncomfortable when Root so blatantly flirted with others, even if Shaw knew Root was doing it for the mission. She supposed some would define it as a relationship, but she also knew that she had never done relationships, was never supposed to do them.

“Maybe. I guess? It’s complicated.” Kira seemed to mull over the new information before once more turning her big eyes on Shaw.

“Do you have… another girlfriend?” Despite the ever present seriousness in Kira’s expression, her voice turned small, as if she was afraid of the answer Shaw would give. Shaw, on her part, was wondering how on earth Kira could think she was in another relationship considering the two people Kira saw Shaw interact with the most was Root and Cassandra.

“No.”

“Then why is it complicated? Don’t you want to be with her?” When Shaw just continued to frown at her, Kira sighed and moved a little closer, lovering her voice just a little, as if they were discussing something top-secret. “Don’t you love her?”

It was a question Shaw hadn’t been expecting, though looking back she supposed she should have expected it from the inquisitive, fairytale loving six year old. She sighed, she might as well give it to the kid straight, Kira was smart, and so alike Gen in some ways, Shaw thought she might give it a go.

“I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“I can’t fall in love, not like those people you watch in all those movies of yours. My brain’s not... programmed quite like yours,” Shaw gave a little tap to Kira’s head, which caused Kira to let out a little giggle, before quickly composing herself, after all, this was a serious conversation. “I can’t feel things like you can at all.” Shaw bit her lip, trying to word it in a way best for Kira to understand. “I do care about her though. Your mom’s something else, she can be quite annoying at times, but she can also be… understanding, comfortable, stupid, but a genius, and somehow I care if she’s okay, if she makes it home safe, if her _feelings_ are good or bad. But no matter what I feel, it can never be as strong as love. Sorry kid, but I’m just not wired that way.” As Shaw finished, Kira let out a little secretive smile. She had listened very closely to what Shaw said, but she had also studied Shaw’s face, the way she shook her head just a little as her lips quirked up just slightly when she thought about Kira’s mom.

“Love doesn’t have to feel the same for everyone. Sometimes love is in the things we do, not just the things we feel. So how do you know what you feel isn’t love for you?” Shaw raised her eyebrow, the more time she spent talking with kids, the more convinced she was that they understood more than they were supposed to. In Kira’s case, she also became more convinced that she watched too much disney. She was just thinking of a way to answer her when the door to the training room opened.

* * *

 

Root had intended to try to surprise Shaw and Kira, walking silently to the door before quickly opening the door before they knew she was there, but when she heard her daughter ask Shaw if Root was her girlfriend, Root had frozen where she stood, just close enough to hear the hushed conversation. She didn’t mean to listen in on their conversation, but she couldn’t bring herself to open the door either, at least not until Kira started talking about love and Root finally figured out how to control her body again, quickly opening the door and walking inside.

“Well someone’s up way past her bedtime,” Root chastised as she walked over to Kira and picked her up. “Did someone feed you before the two of you started training late in the evening, or should we get some food to get in that belly?” Root was pretty sure the almost empty boxes of pizza she’d passed on her way was proof that they had both eaten, but she wasn’t about to send Kira hungry to bed based on an assumption. Kira shook her head, before resting it on Root’s shoulder.

“Tired,” she whispered, wrapped around Root, and Root smiled a little as she waved at Shaw and carried Kira to the bathroom to get changed for bed. Showering after her workout would have to wait until morning. When she left a sleeping Kira in bed to grab a pizza slice to eat, Shaw was leaning against the counter, already a slice in her own hand. Root leaned against the opposite counter and they ate in silence for a couple of minutes.

“So, I’m your girlfriend, huh?” Shaw sighed. She figured Root would’ve heard the conversation when she came in to pick Kira up, thought she’d heard someone out in the hall.

“Kid liked it better than ‘whatever this is’.”

Root extended her arm, signaling for Shaw to grasp her hand, which of course she did, always doing whatever Root wanted, When Root had a firm grip of Shaw’s hand, she used it to pull Shaw over to her, encircling her waist to pull her closer then leaning down to press her own lips against Shaw’s. Shaw followed Root’s lead, opening her mouth when Root poked her tongue out and meeting it with her own. Root tasted of pizza and a taste that was unmistakably Root. Shaw was only sporting a sports bra, and  Root used it for all it was worth, running her hands over every expanse of skin she could find as she kissed a line from Shaw’s lips to her ear.

“I’m sorry about Kira, one too many movies about true love and all that. I hope you know that I have never nor never will expect anything like that from you, I love you for you, and sweetie, you’re all that I want.” Root didn’t realize she’d told Shaw she loved her until after she was done talking, but by then it was too late to take it back, she just wished Shaw didn’t take it as Root wanting Shaw to tell the words back to her. Root knew Shaw cared for her, she’d shown that many times, and Root in no way needed a love confession to know that. She pulled back, looking straight into Shaw’s eyes to help convey her message. The last thing she wanted was Shaw feeling obligated to be in a relationship with her, to be someone she wasn’t. Root would always love Shaw for Shaw, nothing less, nothing more.

“I know,” Shaw whispered, before she surged up, relocking their lips. She placed her hands on Root’s thighs, urging her up, and Root quickly got the idea, jumping up slightly and curling her feet around Shaw’s waist as Shaw carried her to their bedroom. As Root lay demanding and open underneath her on the bed, Shaw reveled in the familiar tastes and smells and sounds that was Root, the way that in that exact moment, Shaw’s goal was bringing Root pleasure, how she knew if Root got herself in a bad situation, Shaw would be there as quickly as possible. She knew she couldn’t love, not like Root could, but she figured that if what she did feel was good enough for Root, then maybe what she was feeling was good enough. She continued thinking of it until Root was done taking pleasure, flipping them over and giving Shaw quite a lot of different things to think about instead.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is unbetaed and I apologize for any mistakes as I am not a native English speaker ~~and often write in the middle of the night~~. Comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated, and I can also be found on tumblr @wardenroot


End file.
